


Eternal Night

by jsaint34



Series: Avengers as Vampires [2]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Vampire Bobbi Morse, Vampire Clint Barton, Vampire Natasha Romanov, Vampire Steve Rogers, romanogers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-09-30 14:43:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20448815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsaint34/pseuds/jsaint34
Summary: So here I am back with a new Romanogers story even though I had previously said in the chapter 2 notes of my one shot Two Souls that I wasn't going to post anything new in the fandom in order to complete the other stories I have on here.  Unfortunately, life never works out the way we want it to and I have reached another impasse on my incomplete works.  It isn't writer's block this time, if it was, I wouldn't be writing and posting this.  As it is, I was revisiting one of my older stories and thought what if the way it ended for Steve and Nat in that one wasn't actually the ending.  If you've read Blood Curse, looking back I know it was one of my early stories and while my writing has improved since I wrote that one,  I found myself wanting to continue it with something new.  With that in mind, I present to you the first three chapters of the sequel.  This story is me challenging myself to be a better writer, kudos and comments are appreciated, but I'm not doing this just for those.  As always, none of the characters belong to me, only the plot, and no infringement was intended, and this is purely a work written for fun.  Enjoy.





	1. Changes

**Author's Note:**

> So here I am back with a new Romanogers story even though I had previously said in the chapter 2 notes of my one shot Two Souls that I wasn't going to post anything new in the fandom in order to complete the other stories I have on here. Unfortunately, life never works out the way we want it to and I have reached another impasse on my incomplete works. It isn't writer's block this time, if it was, I wouldn't be writing and posting this. As it is, I was revisiting one of my older stories and thought what if the way it ended for Steve and Nat in that one wasn't actually the ending. If you've read Blood Curse, looking back I know it was one of my early stories and while my writing has improved since I wrote that one, I found myself wanting to continue it with something new. With that in mind, I present to you the first three chapters of the sequel. This story is me challenging myself to be a better writer, kudos and comments are appreciated, but I'm not doing this just for those. As always, none of the characters belong to me, only the plot, and no infringement was intended, and this is purely a work written for fun. Enjoy.

For Natasha Romanoff, the nightmares never stopped. And these nightmares were far worse than any she had lingering from her time in the Red Room. She, along with Bobbi Morse and Kitty Pryde had for a very brief few weeks had been Brides of Dracula. While Professor Charles Xavier had confirmed that the Vampire Lord was dead thanks to the efforts of Natasha and Wolverine, the former couldn’t shake the feeling that it was only a matter of time before she turned again. This led to a small strain with Steve that only intensified as her nightmares got profoundly worse. 

“Come on Nat, come back to bed. Professor Xavier and Dr. Strange both confirmed that you’re free from Dracula’s control.”

“How can they be sure? So they confirmed he was dead. Does that really mean I’m free? That Bobbi and Kitty are free? We don’t know that. Steve…”

“What Nat? What are you not telling me?”

“How can you not have noticed? I’m sleeping most of the day, roaming the compound at night. And every so often, I’ll look in the mirror and not see my reflection. Other times, I’ll place my hand to my chest and not feel a heartbeat.”

“Nat…”

“Don’t say it Steve. I’m not being paranoid. Dracula drank my blood, and I drank his. There are even times…”

Steve could hear the fear and worry in Natasha’s voice. He’s the only person in her life and this family they have with the Avengers that has seen her this vulnerable. Not even Clint has seen this side of her and he’s known her for going on fifteen years now.

“There are even times where you’re sleeping by my side and I’d swear I can hear the blood pumping through your veins. If I lean close enough I can almost smell your blood. It feels intoxicating and I just know the thirst is getting to me. Every morning you’ve found me on the couch, it’s because I had to get out of our bedroom. I’ve had to be as far away from you as possible because the desire to tear into your throat and taste your blood is overwhelming.”

Steve didn’t know what to say as Natasha paused in her train of thought. He knew that she sometimes needed space and that’s why she slept on the couch, but he had never expected to hear her confess like this. He wants to comfort her, his protective instincts always come to the forefront with Natasha. Just before he can move, she puts a hand up, stopping him in his tracks.

“Don’t Steve. Please. Right now is one of those times. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Natasha…”

“NO!”

For a miniscule moment, Steve witnessed Natasha’s eyes flash black and then red, not unlike when they had been in the final battle to save her soul from Dracula. Before he could even think about moving, she was out of the door of their bedroom and then the compound. She ran until she reached the woods and stopped, not even feeling remotely out of breath. Soon enough she picked up the sounds of rustling in in the trees and the underbrush. Normally Natasha would put her guard up and prepare to face whatever threat was coming her way. But in this moment, she felt safe as if whatever was out there posed no danger. She had a feeling of kinship before three wolves stepped into the opening.

“I would have thought Tony checked the grounds for wild animals before moving us here.”

As Natasha watched, the wolves all laid down on the ground in front of her, inviting her to come forward. The assassin cautiously stepped forward until she was kneeling by the largest wolf. Reaching her hand out, she was met with an inquisitive sniff before the animal nuzzled into her hand. In the next moment, a voice sounded out and Natasha did get a feeling of danger. The wolves all stood up, baring their fangs and snarling.

“Nat…?”

“Don’t come any closer; Steve.”

“I’m just…I just want to help. We can solve this problem if you wouldn’t run from me. Nat…”

Natasha didn’t stay around to hear the rest of what Steve was going to say as she darted further into the woods. The wolves were by her side and she was easily keeping pace with them. She found that under the canopy of trees her eyesight was enhanced and easily dodged any obstacles that were in her path. She felt free, uninhibited and jumped with a supernatural grace as she came upon a massive boulder that she normally would have stopped for. 

When she reached the other side, she landed on all fours, and continued her run with the wolves. In the moment, Natasha didn’t know it but her body had shifted form. When she and the small pack came to a stop, she tried to get her bearings. She didn’t know how far she had run from the compound but that wasn’t her primary concern as she took a deep sniff of the air before looking down at the ground, kneading the dirt beneath her feet, no not her feet. Her paws.

A shot of fear burst through the spy and the moment was gone as her body shifted back to human form, her clothing ripped and barely covering her body. While logically she knew she should head back to the compound, she felt stronger and more powerful. She also still felt safe as her wolf companions curled up around her, protecting her with their body heat. To Natasha, the feeling was extraordinary and she curled up, finally able to sleep.

When morning came, Steve made his way back to the compound after searching all night for Natasha. He had looked everywhere for her but came up empty. When he walked into the dining area, all the others noticed his extreme exhaustion before he made his way back to his and Natasha’s quarters. All the rest of the Avengers were stunned that he ignored the food and the coffee, but only Tony spoke to the confusion.

“What’s up with Capsicle? If I didn’t know better, I’d say someone just told him his dog died.”

Tony’s comment was met with a series of eye rolls from Thor, Sam, Wanda, Pietro and Bruce. The room remained silent as they all got up to put their dishes in the sink and go about their daily routines. When he was back in his room, Steve dug out the burner phone he had gotten from Clint when they were on the run and hesitated before pressing the call button.

Clint was with Bobbi in a training session with the West Coast Avengers. The couple had moved to California as Bobbi had wanted to get away from the memories of the incident with Dracula. Vision, Rhodes, Scott and Hope had joined them when it was decided that the Avengers would be best split into two groups to better handle threats. The session had just ended when his phone began ringing.

“Bobbi…I gotta take this.”

“I’ll wrap up the training. Go on.”

“Go for Hawkeye.”

“That’s how you’re answering the phone now Clint? Seriously?”

“What; Steve? I thought it’d be clever. What’s up?”

“Got a problem. Nat’s disappeared and I can’t find her.”

“Okay old man, I know you were over the moon when you and Nat got married, but come on…a little time apart helps the marriage get stronger.”

“I didn’t call for marriage advice Barton. I called to ask if you and Bobbi have had any lingering problems from when she was bitten by Dracula.”

“She’s had a few nightmares, but other than that, not much. Why?”

“Because Nat’s not doing so well. She’s had nightmares as well, but last night she told me there are times she looks in the mirror and doesn’t see her reflection. She also claimed that there are times she can’t feel her heartbeat.”

“And you’re worried about her. No, Bobbi hasn’t had told me of anything like that occurring. I thought that Strange and Xavier…”

“They did. But Nat’s not convinced.”

“Give her time. She was the one who killed that monster. Let her come to you when she’s ready.”

“I wish I could. But like I said, she disappeared and hasn’t come back.”

“That’s worrisome. But you know Nat probably better than I do at this point. She’ll come back. You know she sometimes just needs space.”

Steve thanked Clint before hanging up the phone, but the words of advice from his friend did nothing to ease the soldier’s mind. When he followed Nat into the woods last night, he felt a change in her, she was cold, animalistic, and the three wolves that growled at him before she took off left him somewhat afraid. Days passed and Natasha still had yet to return, and the thought that she may not come back had Steve pacing the halls of the compound, and snapping at everyone in anger.


	2. The Thirst

During the days after Natasha had left the compound she felt more free and alive than she ever had before. She accompanied the small pack of wolves back to the cave where they had made their home. Like her new companions, she spent the days sleeping and her nights running and hunting with them, even becoming comfortable with the changes her body was undergoing. She even remembered watching Bram Stoker’s Dracula and witnessed the title character turning into a wolf. It seemed far-fetched at first, but she had accomplished the same feat. 

Over those nights, she had managed to suppress the thirst but after a week away, it became too much for her. Her wolf companions had gone hunting while she stayed behind, thinking about Steve and how she missed him. That moment was when the thirst for blood became impossible to ignore. In her hunger, Natasha stumbled from the forest, tracking the smell of meat roasting over an open fire. She knew how much of a fright she looked with only tattered remains of her clothing, but she stepped towards the campsite, and promptly fell to her knees in the dirt in front of a man and his friends.

“Hey…Miss…are you all right?”

The man that spoke quickly approached the woman at his campsite with a blanket and draped it over her shoulders. Natasha wanted to thank him for his kindness but all she could smell was his blood coursing through his veins. All she could hear was his heart pounding, pumping the life through his body. In seconds, she looked up, tears of blood rolling down her face and fangs elongating in her mouth. In less than a second she leapt at the man, her fangs tearing the flesh of his throat apart and his blood filling her mouth. The taste was even more intoxicating than she had imagined and she went for the next man who stood there terrified as he watched his friend die. 

Natasha was relentless as she tore through the rest of the men, until one of them grabbed his shotgun and fired off a round. The bullet went clean through her right side and she howled in pain. The sound of her scream echoed through the forest and brought her pack into the clearing. The largest wolf sniffed at her before turning his attention to the man standing over the fallen member of his pack. The wolf snarled as the other two members of his pack joined in before taking the man with the gun down. Natasha was in danger of bleeding out but the wolves weren’t going to let her die. 

Natasha managed to get a hand into the fur of the biggest wolf and crawled up onto his back. The pack set off at a brisk pace back towards where she had first found them. As dawn approached, they left her lying on the ground where they knew she would be found and slipped back into the woods, where they could protect her if the need should arise. Steve had been leading a search party over the days that she was gone, almost losing hope of finding her when he stumbled across her body.

“TONY! SAM! I found her!”

Steve’s shout brought the others running towards where he was cradling Natasha’s body. The sight was nothing like any of them had expected as she was covered in blood and had a bullet hole in the flesh of her right side under her ribcage. Tony quickly handed Steve a blanket that the soldier carefully wrapped her in before making his way back to the compound with their teammates in tow. Three more days passed as Natasha remained in the I.C.U. of the compound. Her bullet wound had healed but she had yet to wake up. Steve, Sam, and Tony had traded shifts watching over her and on her fourth night back, she finally woke.

“Where…what…”

“Nat; don’t struggle. Be careful in how you move.”

“Steve?”

“Yeah Nat…I’m right here.”

“What happened? Why am I laid up in a hospital bed?”

“That’s what we’d all like to know. You were gone for a week Nat; right after you took off through the woods surrounding the compound after running away from me.”

“I…I did what?”

“You don’t remember?”

“No.”

“You want me to recount the events for you?”

“No; Steve. I just want you to hold me. Please?”

Steve was hesitant to take Natasha in his arms, given the injuries she had sustained while she was gone, but she had been cleaned of the blood and he couldn’t ignore the mournful look in her eyes. She was pleading for human contact and wanting to be held by her husband. Steve tentatively reached out and pulled Natasha into a gentle embrace, running his fingers through her hair and then gently massaging her back. As Natasha leaned her head on Steve’s shoulder, her senses kicked into overdrive and she could hear his heart thumping in his chest, pumping the life blood through his veins. In that instant her eyes turned red and her fangs extended as she prepared to rip into his jugular. 

Steve felt the small points pressing into his neck and immediately broke the contact with Natasha. He looked into her eyes and could see the animalistic hunger as her jaws snapped as she tried to latch on to his throat. A quick slash of her hand ripped his shirt exposing the cross around his neck. It had belonged to his mother and he had taken to wearing it after giving his dog tags to Natasha. The sight of the cross had her immediately recoiling in pain and regaining some of her control as her eyes shifted back to their natural green. The first words out of her mouth were not what the soldier expected to hear.

“Steve; you have to kill me.”

“What? Nat…?”

“Please Steve; I can feel the change happening again. I’m becoming a vampire. Please…kill me!”

“I can’t. I won’t. I saved you once before, I know I can do it again!”

Steve’s refusal caused Natasha to rip the sensors from her body and dash from the room. Alarms started to sound as she barreled her way through the corridors. Steve was running as fast as he could behind her while Tony, Sam, and Bruce rushed to follow. They came to a stop at a cell with a glass door four feet thick. Natasha had locked herself inside in an effort to control herself as she went through the change, but also to protect her family.

“All right Spangles…I’ve only got one question. What the hell is going on?!”

“Natasha thinks she’s turning back into a vampire Tony.”

“Oh…I was thinking she just couldn’t stand to be around you anymore. I mean you are a little too much of a Boy Scout to handle Red.”

With her enhanced hearing; Natasha snarled at Tony’s joke and ran at the glass. Her fangs had once again extended and she wanted to drink the billionaire dry for insulting Steve. But the glass was far too thick for her to break and she fell back, trying to regain control.

“Now is really not the time for your stupid jokes Tony. We can’t let Natasha succumb to the curse of vampirism. There has to be a way to cure her.”

“Killing Dracula should have done that. What do you want me to do, Steve?”

“Really? You’re one of the three smartest people on the planet. Use that big brain of yours to find a way to cure Nat!”

“I’m offended Rogers. You really know two people that are smarter than me?”

“Tony!”

“All right Bruce. Don’t worry, Steve. We’ll get right on it. But we may have to call the street magician in for help.”

“Better not let Dr. Strange hear you refer to him that way, Tony. He might not want to help this time.”

“I’ve already referred to him that way, Steve. It’s all part of the banter.”

Steve just shook his head and turned away from Tony, placing his hand on the glass. Natasha looked up, trying to keep herself from crying while thankful for the glass that kept her separated from Steve. If she could get to any of them, she’d drink them all and enjoy every minute of it. She’d save Steve for last, taking just enough of his blood to begin the change before getting him to drink hers. If she had to spend eternity as a vampire, at least she wouldn’t be alone.


	3. A Cure

Dr. Strange came a day later after dealing with Mordo and his latest attempt to open the barrier between Earth and the Dark Dimension. With what he had heard from Tony, he needed to be at the compound to deal with the supernatural threat. He didn’t go into Natasha’s cell physically, choosing instead to astral project himself as he knew her fledgling vampire senses would register his presence.

“Natasha, tell me what’s going on?”

“Stark didn’t tell you, Strange? I’m becoming a vampire. It seems that Dracula’s death didn’t free me from him after all.”

“Perhaps, but perhaps not. But Barbara Morse and Kathryn Pryde are not showing any of the same symptoms as you.”

“Yeah well, I’ve always been special.”

“Humor is not going to help here Natasha. There is still a chance that we can reverse the process and cure you.”

“How? Right now I’m a threat to my family and I don’t want to kill any of them.”

“It won’t be easy. It will be downright painful at times. And we can only cure you if you haven’t taken human blood.”

“And what if I have?”

“Then the only option we have is to put a stake through your heart and sever your head. Natasha, once you have succumbed to the thirst and taken human blood, the process is irreversible. It will only be a matter of time before you are permanently a vampire. Have you taken human blood?”

Natasha thinks back and tries to remember the days she was on the run from the compound. She can remember bits and pieces and as she focuses on her memories, she knows that she has taken human blood. A small smile forms on her lips as she relishes in the memory of the taste and in the next moment, she lies.

“No; Dr. Strange. I haven’t. I want to, but so far I’ve been able to control myself.”

“Good. Then I’ll need to make arrangements with more of my fellow sorcerers and see if we can reach him. He has been out of the country hunting a vampire coven in Europe, but he and his team were on the verge of creating a cure.”

“Who?”

“Blade. Hold tight Natasha. We can fix this.”

As Dr. Strange’s astral form disappeared, Natasha felt fear. She couldn’t be sure if it was human fear or the blood memories. Blade had hunted Dracula countless times, but had never been able to kill the Vampire Lord permanently, he always managed to find a way back. If Blade comes to the compound, he’ll know immediately that she’s an incurable vampire and won’t hesitate to kill her. With that in mind, she needed a plan. Of course Stephen filled Tony in on his thoughts and the billionaire’s ego went into overdrive, thinking he could create his own cure.

Two days after Stephen left, he came to the cell with his potential cure for Natasha. He believed he didn’t need Strange or Blade and opened up the cell to find Natasha sleeping. He gently patted her shoulder and her green eyes fluttered open.

“You better have a good reason for waking me up Tony. I’ve just barely got a handle on the thirst. If I wasn’t in control, I’d have already ripped you to shreds.”

“Well then be grateful I do have a good reason. I found a cure for you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…drink this.”

Natasha took a drink of the thick red liquid and immediately spit it back out. She gagged at the taste and hit Tony with a deadly glare.

“What in the hell was that?”

“Pig’s blood.”

“How is pig’s blood supposed to cure me?”

“I’m still working on that. But if you drink it, well it should theoretically keep the thirst at bay until I have a more permanent cure.”

“Get out Tony.”

“Natasha…”

“GET OUT!”

Tony left the cell, dejected that Natasha wasn’t more receptive to his attempts at a cure. Little did he realize that giving her pig’s blood made her crave human blood even more. Resigning herself to an eternity of being undead, she waited for Steve to come for his shift of staying with her. An hour later, he showed up and she smiled at seeing him.

“How you doing, Nat?”

“Well, I want to kill Tony for thinking pig’s blood would be a cure for my vampirism.”

“Nat, you know he means well.”

“I know. I just want all of this to be over and be human again so I can get out of this cell and be back sleeping in my own bed with my husband.”

“You know I want that too. You just have to be patient. Dr. Strange got in contact with Blade and he has a Doctor working with him that was able to successfully engineer a cure.”

“How long until they can get it to me?”

“They don’t know. But not more than a week hopefully. You just have to hold on a little longer Nat.”

“Steve…”

“Yeah?”

“I meant it, I miss you holding me through the nightmares. Do you think you could give me that, for at least one night?”

“In the cell? Won’t my being in here with you show up on the camera? And what about the thirst?”

“First, I had FRIDAY disable the camera. And I’ve got the thirst under control. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Steve couldn’t see the harm in spending one night in the cell with Natasha. He had missed her as well and wanted to hold her like he used to. So he entered his code in the panel and the door slid open. Natasha stepped back so he could move to lie down and she soon joined him. In just a few minutes, he had fallen asleep as Natasha climbed on top of him, her arms wrapping around his waist.

She was lucky that he had taken the cross off considering her current state. She had already begun her plan and knew that if and when Blade arrived, two super-soldier vampires would be better than one when it came down to a fight. With her new powers, she was able to keep Steve unconscious as she bared her fangs and tore into his throat, savoring the sweet taste of his enhanced blood.

In the morning, Steve woke with Natasha cuddled in his arms. She was still sound asleep as he began to move, but stirred as he kissed her forehead. She opened her eyes, a smile playing on her lips as she looked at his neck. There were no marks from her fangs as the serum was still healing him. 

“Good morning, Nat.”

“Good morning to you too. Sleep well?”

“Better than I have in a long time, how about you?”

“Not a single nightmare.”

“Good, well, I better get going. Have to go get in my morning run with Sam and then see to our plan for curing you. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Can’t wait.”

Natasha adopted a sinister smile as Steve departed the cell. Her vampire instincts were on high alert and she could already smell the change in Steve’s blood. The venom from her bite would enact his turn from living to undead and his heart rate began to slow. It was only a matter of time before he began to feel the thirst and would need her blood to complete the change.

Days and nights passed as Steve began having a harder time on his morning runs. He was feeling more lethargic than normal and figured it was because of his worry for Natasha. He even began sleeping longer into the afternoon and eating less. When he did eat, the meat went from medium well to medium rare and then to as rare as possible. Thinking something might be wrong with the serum, he had Bruce run a physical.

“The serum is working at peak level, Steve. Don’t worry, when Natasha is cured all this will end. You’ll be fine.”

“Thanks Bruce. I’ll be in my room if you guys need me. I’ll get some sleep before my night shift of watching Nat.”


	4. Choices

When night fell, Steve woke for his shift. Sam had the evening shift this time and was shocked at the appearance of his friend when the soldier approached. But Sam’s mistake was making an ill-timed comment about it.

“Steve…you sure you can handle the graveyard shift. You’re not looking so good.”

“I’m fine Sam! I’m just ready for all of this to be over! You’re not the one who’s been separated from his wife; so lay off!”

“Okay…I just…we’re all worried.”

Steve calmed down in that moment as he realized had gone off on one of his best friends. He hadn’t meant to and immediately tried to apologize.

“Sam…I’m…sorry…I just…”

“I know. It’s okay. Dr. Strange checked in earlier and said the cure is almost ready. He was however pissed that Tony gave Natasha pig’s blood.”

“So was I. Go on Sam, go get some rest. You’ve earned it.”

When Sam was out of Steve’s eyesight, he entered his code to the cell again. Natasha was awake and waiting for him. None of the other Avengers knew he had been spending nights in her cell and even if they did, they thought the serum would protect him if she lost control and bit him.

“Steve…you don’t look so good. Are you okay?”

“I’m…I’m fine Nat. Just haven’t been sleeping well before my shift with you. But I’m here so, what’s on the docket for tonight?”

“You don’t have to pretend with me Steve. Your skin is sallow, your eyes are bloodshot. This is more than just a lack of sleep. Tell me.”

“I feel different. I used to be able to make my run around the full compound in thirty minutes. Now it’s taking me hours. I feel like I’m not as strong as I used to be. And sometimes it feels like the sunlight actually weakens me.”

“Something wrong with the serum?”

“Bruce ran every test he could think of. He says my serum is running at optimum capacity.”

“Then what else could it be?”

Natasha was playing up the innocent route better than she ever had before. She knew exactly what was happening and was just biding her time for the right moment to complete Steve’s transformation. The time was getting closer that Strange and Blade would arrive and she needed Steve ready. Without hesitation, she reached forward; placing her hand up against his forehead.

“Steve…your body feels ice cold. Maybe Bruce’s tests were wrong. These vampire powers I want to get rid of have enhanced my senses. I can hear your heart. It’s beating dangerously slow. Steve…I think you’re dying.”

There was worry in Natasha’s voice as Steve watched her eyes widen in fear. He knew she didn’t want to lose him as she was close to being cured of her vampirism. But he did almost resign himself to this fate.

“Nat…if I’m dying, I don’t want you to be sad when you get cured. You’ll have a long life ahead of you. Live, and move on. Be happy, do it for me.”

“No. I’m not going to let you die Steve. Maybe if…maybe if you had a sample of my serum, it would kick start yours. I can’t lose you.”

“Nat…”

“No. You’re not going to die on me.”

“Well I guess we could have Bruce set up a transfusion.”

“There’s no time for that. And they won’t want to do it until I’m cured. If we don’t do this now Steve, you won’t make it another few days.”

“Then how do we do this?”

“I know you’re going to find this distasteful, and I don’t even want to suggest it, but it may be our only option.”

“What?”

“You’re going to have to drink my blood. It’s the quickest way to get my serum to combine with yours.”

“Nat…what if…”

“It’s a risk we have to take. Don’t make me have to bury you as soon as I’m cured.”

Steve closed his eyes in contemplation as he weighed Nat’s words. He knew her reasoning was sound and waiting for her to be cured was not an option. After a few more moments of thought, he finally agreed.

“All right Nat, if you don’t see another way, then let’s do it. Believe me, I don’t want you to lose me and you know I don’t want to lose you.”

Natasha smiled as she took one of her fingernails and sliced her arm. Steve watched the blood slowly start to drip before she flexed her arm creating a better flow from the vein. Without hesitation, and the smell of her blood overwhelming his senses, he roughly grabbed her arm and pulled it forward to his mouth. The taste shocked him into full awareness as he pulled deep at the warm thick liquid, swallowing in deep gulps. Natasha let out a guttural laugh as she could hear Steve’s heart beating even slower. When he had taken enough of her blood to complete his own transformation, Natasha pulled her arm free and gently laid him down on his back.

“Sleep well, my love. When you wake, we will have eternity together.”

Natasha laid down next to Steve, with her head on his chest as she listened to his heart barely beating. He was out and while she didn’t know how long it would take, she knew he would awaken as one of the undead; her mate for all time. Through the night, her skin shed the last vestiges of color as she could see Steve’s skin beginning to do the same. Hours passed and without sunlight to harm them, he woke in the morning feeling more alive than ever despite now being one of the undead. Natasha was up and sitting on the floor next to him as his eyes slowly opened.

“Good morning love.”

“Morning Nat.”

“Sleep better?”

“Much. Maybe keeping you in this cell is the problem. You’ve controlled yourself remarkably well. You want to come back to our room?”

“Still not sure that’s the safest idea. Better wait for the cure before I can rejoin the team and you.”

“I see. Well…”

“Steve, we still have the nights that you watch over me. I’m content with that for now. Go on, see where the team is at in regards to my cure. I’ll still be here when you come back tonight.”

Steve walked out of her cell and towards the recreation room, leaving her lost in her sinister thoughts. Her change had occurred after taking the blood of those campers and she knew that Steve’s would be complete as soon as he took human blood. For now his serum was still fighting the change, but as soon as she was in danger from Blade and the others, his burgeoning vampire instincts would kick in. She just wondered who would be the first for him to take the blood of. When he walked in, Steve caught sight of the news report the rest of the team was engrossed in. The campsite was a bloody mess and bodies were everywhere.

“Looks like a war zone. They know what happened?”

Steve’s voice startled the assembled as they turned to him. Tony and Bruce turned back to the screen first, and then Wanda and Pietro did. Sam kept his attention focused on his friend. He knew Steve seemed different, but with the stress they were all under it was understandable.

“Reports say it was an animal attack. Possibly wolves. There was evidence of shots fired, and no one survived.”

Steve could almost hear the wheels turning in Tony’s head as he assessed the reports. The coincidence of the timing of this campsite slaughter had him thinking it wasn’t just wolves. Natasha had been gone at the same time the attack occurred according to the reports. It left the genius with a feeling of intense dread.

“You know Rogers; this doesn’t seem like just a wolf attack. The way the bodies are strewn around the campsite suggests that this attack was planned. There’s a cold calculating method that seems to have been at work. Wolves are noted for coordinated attack patterns in the pack, but this…it almost seems like a trained assassin did this.”

“So what do you think Tony?”

“Natasha had left the compound and from where we found her, she wasn’t that far off from the attack. It could have been…”

“Shut up Tony! Natasha’s one of us. She gave up that life long ago! She couldn’t have!”

“I’m just weighing all the possibilities Steve. We don’t know where Natasha was during that time. And she did have a gunshot wound when we found her. She could have…”

Steve came around the couch and grabbed Tony by the front of his shirt. In seconds the billionaire was in the air, his feet dangling three feet off the ground while Steve literally snarled at him.

“Natasha didn’t do this Tony. And I won’t hear of you forcing her to confess when we don’t have all the evidence. She’s in her cell, waiting for the cure to be ready and brought to her. I will not let you kill her.”

All the Avengers were shocked at the aggressive actions Steve had just taken. It was uncharacteristic of him and they all saw his jaw clenched, teeth visibly grinding before he dropped Tony back on the couch. Back in her cell, Natasha felt Steve’s anger through the bond that had formed after they shared blood. She knew in that moment that Steve’s final transformation would come sooner than she had thought and had a feeling that Tony’s would be the first throat he rips into.

As Steve stormed out of the rec room, Tony started rubbing the back of his neck because of his friend’s actions. He was hesitant to speak, but knew that if no one else was going to say it, he would have to.

“He’s ignoring all the signs. I know she’s his wife, but there is such a thing as being so involved that your feelings cloud your judgment.”

The rest of the Avengers knew Tony wasn’t wrong. There was a chance that Natasha had already succumbed to vampirism. And if that was the case, it was extremely possible that she would attempt to turn Steve, if she hadn’t begun the process already. As soon as Steve arrived back at the cell, Natasha looked up with a curious glint in her eyes, pretending she didn’t know any of what had occurred.

“What’s wrong now, Steve?”

The soldier was pacing back and forth in front of the glass door like a caged animal. His fury would be evident to anyone who walked by at that moment. But the compound was mostly empty except for the team.

“There were reports of an attack on a local campsite. None of the campers were left alive. The media believes it was a wolf attack…”

“Is that what’s bothering you? Hardly seems to warrant the Avenger’s attention.”

“No, that’s not it. It’s Tony. After watching the report he got this crazy idea in his head that you killed those men.”

Natasha laughed hysterically at what Steve just told her. She knew it was the truth, but she couldn’t let on that it was. Instead she let her laughter abate as she caught sight of Steve with a small grin on his face.

“Tony’s just being paranoid. Let me guess, he made the connection because I was away from the compound. He really doesn’t trust me, even after all these years.”

“You’d think we would be used to his paranoia by now.”

“Steve…we should never get used to his paranoia. Honestly I still don’t understand how Pepper puts up with him. So don’t let Tony bother you. Are you going to spend the night in the cell with me again?”

“I shouldn’t tonight. I’m still angry at Tony; I was extremely aggressive with him as I defended you. I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

“You know I trust that you won’t. But if you think it’s safer, I guess I can accept that. At least you’re still here with me, so that’s enough for now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Natasha's showing signs of being the Black Widow she used to be as she manipulates Steve's feelings for her and using their relationship to get what she wants. I'm really not sure how far this story is going to go, but I hope the readers are enjoying it so far. Please feel to comment with feedback, I only ask that it's constructive criticism.


	5. Vampire

Though the couple wanted to be together without the cell door separating them, they spent the night talking through the glass, their enhanced hearing picking up every word without the need for the intercom. They hadn’t just spent the night talking like this since their wedding night. In the morning, with just a few hours left until sunrise; Bruce came to relieve Steve from his shift, and he was pleased to see the couple in good spirits.

“Morning Steve, morning Natasha. How are you two doing?”

“We’re fine Bruce. Nat, I’m going to go get some sleep. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Why wouldn’t you? I’m sure I’ll still be in this cell.”

Steve smirked at Natasha’s joke as he began to walk away. Before he could get back to the residential wing, a sling ring portal opened with Dr. Strange stepping through.

“Stephen, since you’re here, I’m guessing Blade and his team completed the cure?”

“They did, Bruce. It took some time, and massive testing but we have a cure. And with all that testing we created a cure that is guaranteed to work without causing Natasha any physical pain as it restores her humanity.”

Steve stepped forward in that moment, all thoughts of sleep forgotten as he was once again wide awake. He was ready for this nightmare to end so he and Natasha could be together again without the confines of her cell, but he wasn’t yet aware of his own transformation or what would follow when the cure was administered.

“So, who’s going to give her the cure? Stephen, should it be me?”

“Unfortunately Steve, I must advise against that. I know you and Natasha have had to deal with this trauma for days without end. Blade and the Doctor that works with him were quite clear. Given the supernatural threat, only I can administer the cure.”

Steve wasn’t happy about that revelation, but did know it was the best course of action. While he wanted to be the one to cure Natasha, he had to wait outside the cell as Dr. Strange went in physically this time.

“Natasha, this cure works in two parts. The first is an injection to prepare your body for the shift back to your humanity. The second part must be taken orally. After the injection, you have to drink this vial of medicine which will enhance your serum enough to fight and burn out the vampire virus in your blood.”

“Then get to it, Strange.”

Natasha rolled up her sleeve so Stephen could inject her with the syringe. The needle went in smoothly and she didn’t feel a thing. Part one of the cure had been administered and now she just had to drink the medicinal solution. After swallowing the rest of the cure down, Natasha fell back to the seat momentarily as her eyes closed. Bruce, Stephen and Steve waited with baited breath as they hoped the cure would work. For a few minutes Natasha just sat there until Dr. Strange spoke again.

“Natasha, how do you feel?”

Her eyes immediately opened, red with the thirst. She leapt across the room; her fangs fully extended and gleaming in the light of the cell. If Stephen hadn’t opened a sling ring portal to escape, she would have ripped into his throat, letting his blood flow into her.

“The cure didn’t work…”

A vile laugh exploded from Natasha’s throat as she paced in front of the glass. She had known she wouldn’t be cured and spoke to those assembled, but her focus was squarely on the sorcerer.

“No shit Sherlock. You made it quite clear when you first came to me with the idea of a cure. The only way that the cure would work was if I hadn’t taken human blood.”

“You lied to me.”

“Of course I did Stephen. You were a fool to believe me. Pathetic.”

“Then we have no other options. Bruce, Steve, I need the both of you to come with me. I need to explain what we have to do next.”

Steve slowly followed Dr. Strange and Bruce before turning back. He took a quick glance at Natasha and she smiled at him, knowing he could hear her thoughts, not that he knew how he could.

_“Steve, you know what they’re planning. You know what’s coming next. You’re going to have to make a choice. I’ll be waiting when you come back.”_

In the rec room the Avengers were all assembled as FRIDAY had relayed everything that went on for Tony and played it back after Dr. Strange had called them all together.

“I know this is going to be difficult for you all to hear. I know that Natasha is an Avenger, a part of your family. But the woman in that cell, she is no longer Natasha Romanoff.”

“Rogers, Dr. Strange.”

“I’m sorry Steve, but although she looks like your wife, I assure you that your wife is dead. That woman is no longer human. She’s a vampire, a daughter of the night. There is no turning her back from what she’s become.”

“Bullshit! We only tried the cure once! Make a stronger one!”

“Steve, no cure no matter how strong will reverse Natasha’s condition. She’s no longer the woman you married. She only lives now to drink the blood of mortals, just like Dracula before her. We have but one option, and we must drive a stake through her heart and sever her head. If we do not, she will either kill all of you, or turn you into vampires like she is.”

“There has to be another way, Stephen. We can’t just…”

“Steve, listen to him. None of us know anything about the supernatural, Stephen spends his life dealing with mystical threats. And right now Natasha is one of those threats. Do you really think she wants to spend the rest of her life this way?”

“Bruce…”

“Steve, you know this has to be done. You have to let her go.”

Steve sighed as Bruce placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. None of the other Avengers spoke as they all believed Banner would be the only one who could get through to the soldier. After several tense moments of silence, Steve nodded his head in acquiescence.

“At least let me say good-bye to her. I think you all owe me that.”

The room remained silent as Steve stepped away and down the corridor that led to Natasha’s cell. When he was gone, Tony spoke to FRIDAY, instructing her to close off all communications in the compound except for in the rec room.

“You got it Boss.”

“Okay, FRIDAY, we don’t know what Steve’s going to do, but we need you to monitor the cell block and sound the alarms if Natasha’s cell opens. I have no doubts that she’ll use their relationship to confuse him, prey on his sympathies. He’ll be the first one she turns into a vampire like her.”

“Monitoring in progress, stand by.”

Steve was once again pacing outside Natasha’s cell and she watched him. She could tell what he was thinking and didn’t speak, choosing to let him make his own decision. She already knew what it would be given their connection, but she wanted him to accept it on his own.

“They want to kill you; Nat.”

“I know. I’m a vampire and they can’t accept that I have just as much a right to life as they do. All they see is a monster. No doubt Dr. Strange convinced them of that.”

“Tell me the truth Nat. You lied to Dr. Strange.”

“Yes.”

“You took human blood.”

“Yes.”

“Did you want to be cured? Or did you really want to be a vampire all along?”

“I wanted to be cured at first. But answer a question for me Steve. If you could live however you wanted to, wherever you wanted to without the pressures of society or the world weighing you down, would you take that chance?”

“Nat…”

“You know I don’t need you to tell me, because I already know your answer. You’ve been fighting the good fight, taking all the weight of your responsibilities as Captain America and suffering. This change for me, it’s not a burden, it’s a gift. I can finally live to my own expectations, without worrying what the world thinks of me or my past. People have been out to kill me ever since I revealed S.H.I.E.L.D and HYDRA’s dirty secrets. Now I have power that I can use to protect myself.”

“But as a vampire Nat? Having to drink blood just to survive? What kind of life is that?”

“My life to live as I choose. And yours now too.”

“What?” 

“Don’t look at me like that Steve. You already know what’s happened to you. The way you attacked Tony, the sleeping all day. You can feel it. I told you I couldn’t lose you. Tell me you that your heart’s still beating. You know it’s not. Tell me that when you attacked Tony, you didn’t find yourself wanting to rip his throat out.”

“What did you do to me Nat?”

“What I had to Steve. I didn’t want you to be alone, and I didn’t want to be alone for eternity. You can feel it, feel the thirst. It’s been there since you drank my blood. I made you like me so we could be together. You do still want that?”

Steve thought for moments at the reality of what Natasha had just revealed to him. After the first night he spent in her cell, he woke up with no marks but his throat had felt tender. He remembered having to drink her blood with the thought that it would kick start his serum, but now he’s realizing the truth. He enjoyed drinking the blood from the wound she opened up for him. Now he just had to say the words, admitting to himself what he had become.

“I’m…Natasha…I’m…”

Natasha nodded her head, encouraging him to finish his train of thought. She wanted to hear him say the words just as much as she knew he needed to say them. She watched as his eyes briefly flashed from blue to red and then black, knowing that the thirst was already beginning to overwhelm his new senses.

“Natasha…I’m a vampire. You turned me into a vampire. Why did you do this to me?! I wanted you to be cured! I didn’t want this!”

“Didn’t you? Steve, listen to me, you wanted this. You know you did. If you hadn’t, would you have come into the cell with me? Be honest with yourself, would you have taken my blood if you hadn’t really wanted to be a vampire?”

Steve fell silent as he was still focusing his thoughts on this new life he was forced into. He knew that a cure existed and there was a chance he could go back to being human. But he realized that if he did, he would lose Natasha forever. Natasha could hear his thoughts and spoke, figuratively twisting the knife a little deeper to help him accept his undead future.

“Yes, my love. We can have eternity together, but you know what they want to do to me. What they’ll do to you when they find out.”

Natasha’s words made something inside Steve snap, and he knew in that moment what he had to do. Now that they were both vampires, there was no way Tony or Dr. Strange would let them leave here alive. In that same instant he accepted that he had wanted this new life with her. Everything she had said was the absolute truth. He didn’t want to be cured, and was suddenly craving human blood. 

“I’m not going to let that happen. We’re getting out of here.”

“Eternity won’t be so bad as long as we’re together Steve.”

Natasha smiled a devilish smirk as Steve entered his code into the panel, deactivating the security system. As the door slid open, she confidently stepped out of the cell and embraced her mate with all the passion she had been holding back as she pretended to want the cure. As their bodies aligned perfectly, Steve let his transformation take full hold and his teeth elongated as Natasha pulled his face down to meet hers. Their fangs clashed in a dance of lips and tongues, both tasting the other’s blood as the alarms began to sound. In moments, the rest of the Avengers came running with Dr. Strange in the lead. They could only stop in shock as they witnessed the events playing out in front of them. Tony recovered first and spoke, with the hope of salvaging this situation.

“Step away from Natasha, Steve. You heard what Dr. Strange said when we were in conference. She’s not the woman you married. She’s a vampire, and if you let her…”

“Let her what; Tony? Bite me, drink my blood?”

“Yes Steve, you know that’s what she’s going to do. You have to let us end this.”


	6. Threats

Tony’s words hung ominously in the air around everyone in the detainment corridor. The tension was so thick Natasha could have cut it with a knife. Steve could sense the others gearing up for a fight and made his last choice. His voice took on a deep and furious timbre as he spoke to Tony, but let everyone assembled know of his intentions.

“You want me to let you kill her? Not a chance, Stark. If you want to get to Natasha, you have to go through me. And both you and I know you’re not man enough to take me on. More importantly, you’re too late.”

Steve turned around to look at his friends and team-mates, but immediately chastised himself for thinking of them that way. Sure they’d been through more than a dozen tense missions together, but they wanted to kill Natasha. He wasn’t going to let that happen. They were his friends; she is now his only family. A sinister and guttural laugh broke free from his throat as the Avengers stared in wide eyed horror. Steve’s eyes flashed black and then red, he was fully consumed by the thirst as his fangs once again extended in his mouth. 

In seconds, he was running faster than ever before, faster than the super-soldier serum let him run. His feet barely touched the ground as he got to Tony first, ripping into the billionaire’s throat before his armor could form around his head and neck to protect him. The fangs pierced deep but not enough to kill as Steve only needed to satiate his first experience with the bloodthirst and his new powers. When he’d had enough, he threw Tony to the ground and his eyes returned to their normal blue.

“That was a warning to all of you. Natasha and I are leaving. Try to stop us, and I’ll let her drink every single one of you dry, and make no mistake, I’ll help her. If you’re lucky, we might let you join our family. But I wouldn’t count on it. Human or Vampire, we have just as much a right to life as all of you. Come after us, and then the consequences of that are on you. You were our family, but with our new lives, we can’t trust any of you not to try and kill us.”

The rest of the Avengers didn’t move because of Steve’s blatant threat. They could only watch in stunned silence as the vampire couple ran for the exit and into the woods faster than humanly possible. When they were several miles from the compound, deep into the forest of upstate New York, they came across the three wolves that Natasha had formed a bond with. The last time Steve had seen them, they snarled and bared their fangs at him. This time, they lay down as they had done with Natasha previously, accepting him as part of the pack.

“So where to now, Nat?”

“We can go wherever we want to. But tell me, are you going to miss your old life? Are you going to regret becoming a vampire? For a moment back there, I thought you were considering taking the cure.”

“That’s not possible now. I’ve taken human blood.”

“And how did that taste? How did it feel when you ripped into Tony’s throat after he threatened my life? “

“Indescribable. But his blood was a little too salty for my first taste. My protective instincts kicked in, and in that moment, I didn’t want anything else. Only us together, for eternity.”

Natasha smiled, her fangs slightly showing in the moonlight around them. She had expected Steve to fight his change with his dying breath, but she was never more pleased to have been wrong. He was hers and she was his, and nothing would separate them ever again. However Steve wasn’t done with his explanation.

“You were right, being Captain America was weighing me down from the responsibilities the world thrust at me. I feel free, and more alive than I ever have…”

Natasha knew that Steve’s words came from a place where he was still adapting to his new status as a vampire. He had just taken blood for the first time and wouldn’t be able to deny the thirst now. If a small part of her deep down was still human, she’d feel guilty for what she’d done, but she couldn’t. Her only care in the world now was that she wouldn’t have to be alone in this. In that realization she teased him like she always could.

“Despite technically no longer being alive. Being undead?”

Natasha and Steve laughed in harmony as their eyes and fangs glinted in the fading moonlight. Sunrise was not far off and the couple knew they would need shelter for the day. With that in mind, Natasha took Steve by the hand and they began to run with the wolves by their sides. In moments, the trees were a blur as they ran, Steve didn’t know where Natasha was leading him, nor did he care. Soon enough they came to the same path she had taken and the boulder she had jumped over. Together they leapt with the same supernatural grace, landing on all fours. 

The sensation was intriguing for Steve as he stopped briefly to look back at how far they had come and then down at his new form. Like Natasha had been previously, he was mystified at the paws he saw where his hands and feet had been. Now realizing that as a vampire, he could shift his form to that of other creatures, caused him to howl at the moon in euphoria. The other three wolves joined in as Natasha; also in her own wolf form came over and nuzzled her head against his golden-gray fur. Steve returned the movement against her auburn-brown fur before they continued their run. 

The couple, being mindful that the first light of dawn was fast approaching raced to find shelter. Natasha remembered the cave she found herself in that first night and followed the path with Steve right behind her. As they remembered when Dracula had burst into flame after the fight in Transylvania, they quickly moved to the darkest recesses of the cave and settled down after reverting back to human form. 

Once again Natasha’s clothing was tattered from the transformation but so was Steve’s and in that moment the vampires couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Back at the Avengers compound, Tony was in the I.C.U. getting his throat bandaged from where Steve had torn free a chunk of skin after Dr. Strange had administered the other doses of the cure. 

“You know we have to go after them. We can’t let Steve and Natasha just run free as vampires. God knows what they’ll do.”

“Are you out of your damn mind Tony? You heard what Steve said! We come after them and they will kill us or turn us. Personally, I like my life and I don’t want to spend the rest of eternity as an undead monster.”

“You scared; Wilson? You, the man who jumped out of airplanes with a jet pack and wings strapped to your back?”

“I’m not scared of a fight, Stark. I don’t want to be responsible for killing two of my best friends because they’re vampires now.”

“Yeah, you’re scared.”

Sam was about to go off on Tony as Bruce stepped in and tried to diffuse the situation before the hospital wing became a bloody mess. Dr. Strange was still working through his magic’s to cleanse the cell block of any potential vampire mysticism that could have a negative effect on the team. When he finished his task, he came to Tony’s room where the genius was now patched up.

“Okay, Steve and Natasha are gone and for now, that is what’s best for all concerned. At this time…”

“Don’t bullshit us Doc. You know we have to go after them.”

“I would strongly advise against that Tony. I’ve got two vampire Avengers on my hands and I don’t need to deal with more. Your team is not equipped to handle this threat. The supernatural reality of this situation requires a supernatural response. I’ll need to leave and see if Blade can be spared from his current hunt. Until such time as he and I return, stay at the compound. I’ve performed a spell that should keep you all protected should Steve and Natasha return.”

“I…”

“That was not a request Stark. You leave…and you die. Or you become one of their kind. You wanted to kill Natasha and would have gone through Steve to do so. He was being kind when he tossed you to the ground like yesterday’s newspaper.”

With those words Dr. Strange opened a portal back to the Sanctum, leaving the three Avengers lost in thought and a unbearable silence. Not one of them had any ideas of what to do, until Tony spoke again, his idea a long shot, but the only shot they have.

“I don’t care what Strange says. We have to go after them. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that our former friends will create more vampires and come for us anyway.”

“Tony…”

“Don’t shake your head at me Sam. I haven’t completely lost all my sense of sanity. I’m just saying we need to be prepared before we go after them.”

“Then what do you want to do, Tony?”

“Call the West Coast team, Bruce. We’ll need their help. Given that both Steve and Nat know how we operate, and set up all of our coordinated attack patterns, we would only stand a slim chance of victory. The West Coast team has been developing their own for the different threats they’ve faced. It would make our combined forces unpredictable. And even though Natasha’s a vampire, I still don’t think she has it in her to attack Clint or Bobbi.”

“We don’t know that for sure. And how do we know Bobbi isn’t experiencing what Natasha did before her turn? We need to be cautious.”

“We will be Bruce, but we’ll still need their help.”

Bruce left Tony’s room, followed by Sam who still had to explain this change of fortune to the rest of the team that was still at the compound. Right now it was just Wanda as Pietro had gone home to Sokovia when news of a potential HYDRA base reactivating came in. Unfortunately for Bruce, the West Coast team was on a mission. It was a mission Rhodes had been excluded from as his armor was currently inoperable. 

“Sorry Bruce. The rest of the team won’t be back for another few days. I’ll let them know when they get back that we’re needed in New York. At least then I’ll have my armor disassembled so we can transport it and Tony can fix it.”

“We’ll see you then, Rhodey.”

Three days later Clint, Bobbi and the rest of the team returned to base, the mission a success, but not without injuries and complications. Clint had been in the sniper position, calling out locations and strategies so they could end the threat before it got out of hand. But when Bobbi froze in the middle of a fight, he had to intervene and left his post to save her. His appearance snapped her back to awareness before a knife could be shoved into her chest.

Now that they’re in their quarters, he’s pacing as she sits on their bed watching him. Bobbi can feel Clint’s anger and frustration bubbling up just under the surface. She wants to speak to calm him, but any words she says could set him off. When she’s had enough, she’s just about to speak when he stops and looks directly at her, a laser like stare making her feel three feet tall.

“What in the hell happened back there, Bobbi? You froze in the middle of a fight! Do you realize how close you came to me bringing you home in a body bag?!”

“Clint, listen…”

“No, you listen! You didn’t even speak on the flight back! I just…I just want to know what happened.”

“I don’t know what happened Clint! You’ve got questions I don’t have the answers to! What do you want me to say!?”

Before Clint could respond, his phone was ringing. As soon as they had walked back into the compound, Rhodes had told him that Bruce had called while they were gone. He knew Rhodey was going to call the East Coast team and let them know the mission was completed, but Clint had hoped to have a little more time to settle back in than this.

“Barton here…what’s up Bruce?”

Clint was pacing again as he listened to the call, leaving Bobbi angry that their conversation had been interrupted before they’d ended the fight. She could tell that Banner’s words were extremely upsetting as she watched Clint’s face shuffle through a range of emotions. When he threw the phone down on the bed after the call ended, she knew their argument could wait. His next words confused her.

“Steve and Natasha are gone.” 

“What? What do you mean gone?”

“They’re gone Bobbi. That’s all I got from Banner and he refused to elaborate over the phone. We need to pack up and get on the move. Tony needs us in New York.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Nope, the whole team. Whatever the threat is, it must be big. We need to gather the team and get going.”

Clint walked out of their room to prep their own Quinjet for the flight to New York. Bobbi was left in stunned silence because they had moved to California to escape her nightmares from the incident with Dracula. Professor Xavier had given her the all clear that the vampire was dead, but even that small reassurance didn’t alleviate her memories of her time as a vampire. 

When they formed the West Coast Avengers, life began to return to what passes for normal and her nightmares became fewer, but she still had some. So going back to New York was not ideal, but if Steve and Natasha needed their help, she was going to be there for them. What she didn’t know was that her nightmares were going to get so much worse, nor was she aware of the impending fate that would soon befall her.


	7. Plans and a new Home

Hours after Steve and Natasha had left the compound, Tony was back on his feet as he and the rest of the team awaited the arrival of the West Coast team. They were deep in discussions about what to do before beginning the hunt for their now former team-mates turned vampires. The Avengers had recently come back from a mission that had been highly classified, but not without severe injuries. A few paparazzi had been camped outside the compound and got a few pictures of the after effects. It’s only now looking back on that mission that Tony started to connect the dots. Natasha had suffered a wound to the neck after she had gone off comms. Given that the wound had healed a few days later thanks to her serum, no one saw cause for concern.

But now with the reports of the campsite slaughter and the Avengers being expected to issue a response once the media began suggesting the attack had been more than just hungry wild animals. Questions were starting to form as to why the Avengers hadn’t stepped in to investigate the situation. Tony knew he had to get ahead of this and called for a press conference to be set for two days from now. But first he had to deal with an extremely furious Clint Barton and Bobbi Morse who had just arrived.

“What in the damn hell, Tony? What did Bruce mean when he said Steve and Nat were gone?!”

“They’re gone Barton. Gone after threatening to kill us all if we came looking for them.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Steve and Natasha, well more so Steve overtly threatened to kill us when they left the compound.”

“So what, they took a vacation and didn’t want to be followed? They needed time alone and he threatened to kill you over that? I always knew you’d push them too far Stark.”

“Unfortunately Bobbi, I wish that was the case. No…we can no longer count Steve and Nat among the living.”

“Okay, still not following.”

“Clint…when Steve called you a week and a half ago, what did he tell you about Nat?”

“That she had taken off for a little while, Tony. Nat’s always needed to go off on her own every now and then. She calls it her reconciliation time. He was worried about her. I tried to remind him that sometimes marriages just need space, especially in our line of work.”

“What else, I know that’s not all.”

“He mentioned Nat having nightmares about the whole ordeal with Dracula. He mentioned that she had told him that there were times she looked in the mirror and cast no reflection. Other times she wouldn’t feel her heartbeat.”

“And you didn’t think that was odd? Didn’t throw up any red flags for you?”

Now Tony was angry, but desperately trying to keep his cool. He was angry at Clint for not looking more into the situation, angry at Steve for keeping that nugget of information quiet. But most of all he was angry with himself for not paying attention to the signs and thinking a cure would work. He should have put a stake in Natasha’s heart the minute she threatened to rip him to shreds. They wouldn’t be dealing with this problem now if he had. Clint and Bobbi were getting more confused by the minute as Tony seemed a little too caught up in his introspection.

“Uh…Tony, I think you were trying to make a point here. You want to tell us what happened to Steve and Nat?”

“They’re vampires Barton. Both of them. Natasha was already well into her transformation a week ago. Steve…she began turning him from what I can guess was a few days ago.”

“We can get them back right? There’s got to be some sort of cure.”

“There’s a cure, Bobbi. Dr. Strange administered it to me.”

“Which one of them bit you?”

“Steve did; Clint.”

“You know I’d make a joke about that, but it doesn’t seem appropriate right now. So we go find them, use the cure and get our friends back.”

“Not going to work.”

“Why not? If it worked on you…?”

“Because they didn’t force me to imbibe either of their blood. That was apparently just the first step. Once they took human blood, it was all over. Bobbi, Clint…Natasha took Steve’s blood and possibly that of some innocent campers a week ago. Steve took mine. They’re gone forever.”

Bobbi took Clint’s hand and he squeezed hers tightly in the hope of comforting her. They both knew that if Natasha had never really been healed from their ordeal, there was a chance, no matter how slim, that the same fate could happen to her.

“So what are we going to do about this?”

“As of right now, I’m working on a plan for that. Steve warned us not to come after them, but we can’t just let them run free. But as for the campsite attack, the media is demanding a response from the Avengers. I’ve set up a press conference…”

“Is that really the best idea, Tony?”

“I have to do something Barton. People are saying that the campsite attack is a calling card to us. They want to know why the Avengers haven’t gone out to find those who were responsible and kick some ass.”

“So what exactly do you plan to say to the press?”

“That the Avengers just returned from a mission while the campsite was being attacked and we were burying two of our own. I’m going to report that Captain America and the Black Widow were killed in action.”

“The best lies are always rooted in the truth.”

“It’s technically true anyway, Bobbi. Nat was injured on that mission, two wounds to her neck. Can’t be sure it was a vampire that got her, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.”

“I think considering the fact that she is a vampire now Tony, that this attack was the cause of her transformation.”

“I’m aware of that Barton. But this press conference, all of the Avengers need to be there, East and West. We need to show a united front that we won’t let the deaths of Cap and Widow go without retribution.”

While Tony was finalizing the details for the press conference, Steve and Natasha had been on the move. They knew they couldn’t stay living in the cave and under cover of night moved further north. Like good companions, the three wolves followed them as they made their way into the Adirondack Mountains. It was there that the vampire couple found a cabin that looked to be abandoned from the exterior. But when they got inside, they discovered that it was anything but. The interior looked pristine and was filled with various experiments and countless files on the Avengers. As she explored, Natasha found a recessed button that upon being pressed opened up a wall that was adorned with HYDRA symbols. When she turned around, a staircase had also been revealed and she could hear voices coming from below them.

“Steve…take a look at this.”

Steve turned to see what Natasha had found and instantly knew that HYDRA was still somewhat in operation. Not only that, but they were practically on the Avengers’ doorstep. As soon as he caught the sound of voices, he smiled at Natasha, baring his fangs. She instantly knew what he was thinking and they descended the staircase, surprising the HYDRA agents down below.

“Hey Widow, seems that HYDRA still has it out for me. Guess I shouldn’t be shocked. We did blow their operation wide open a few years ago.”

I remember that Cap…it was when we discovered they had been growing inside S.H.I.E.L.D. That was a fun mission, taking them all out and destroying the Project Insight helicarriers.”

“No doubt. Looks like we’ve got some more fun ahead of us, and even more HYDRA agents to kill.”

The ten agents that were at the cabin base immediately went for their firearms and started to attack. All they knew was that Captain America and the Black Widow had found them and were an immediate threat. Every bullet fired missed the mark as Steve and Natasha dodged their enemies with their supernatural abilities. One by one the HYDRA agents fell, either from snapped necks or fangs ripping their throats out. When the slaughter was over, both vampire’s faces were covered in blood but they didn’t care as they shared a passionate kiss in their euphoria. They had been able to feed and take out a HYDRA team in the process. Natasha laughed as she pulled back from Steve and looked around.

“We ought to send Tony a you’re welcome note letting him know we took care of this threat for him. It would probably keep him off our backs for a while.”

“That would be cruel, Nat. It’s not Tony’s fault he’s got shit for brains when it comes to HYDRA.”

“Why Captain Rogers, you used to be all high and mighty and once chastised Tony for his language in the middle of a battle. Makes me think I’ve been a bad influence on you.”

Natasha smirked as Steve once again pulled her in closer, crashing his lips and fangs against hers. They were savoring the taste of the dead agent’s blood before finally calming down, but not without one last word from Steve, which brought an even more sinister smile to the lips of the redhead.

“You’re more than a bad influence Mrs. Rogers. You were the death of me, and I couldn’t be more grateful. What do you say we explore our new home?”

Natasha took Steve’s hand in hers as they skipped back up the steps to the main cabin. While Steve was joking about it being cruel to send a note to Tony, he wasn’t against the idea, but wanted to include more. After learning that the cabin was nestled well enough into the mountains where the sunlight would not be any concern, the couple went about redecorating. HYDRA had brought several cans of paint and supplies to cover up their operation after challenging the Avengers, supplies that Nat and Steve made good use of to make this their own den. When they were done, they bagged the files and pieces of the uniforms of the HYDRA agents for their former team. 

With those tasks complete, Natasha searched the cabin for any clothing that may have been left behind while Steve disposed of the bodies that they had drained dry. Her search was mostly coming up empty until she found the master bedroom with a walk in closet that rivaled her own at the compound. Inside were dozens of different types of clothing for a man and woman, no doubt left behind by the previous owners before HYDRA took over. 

She began searching for something suitable to wear that would replace the tattered black pants and tank top she had been wearing since leaving the compound. She came across several dresses that all would seem to fit her, but none looked right until she came to the very last dress. Trying it on, she balked at the lack of her reflection to see her appearance, but the black and red dress fit her like a second skin, hugging her curves in all the right places. Natasha needed an opinion so she stepped back into the living room, gently placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder as he tossed the last HYDRA agent out the front door to the wolves.

“Steve…tell me what you think.”

“Of what Nat?”

Steve slowly turned around, taking in the sight of his wife standing in front of him. His mouth was agape at her appearance and if he had been alive, his heart would be pounding out of his chest. For a moment he was at a loss for words as a seductive smile appeared on Natasha’s face. While she wouldn’t be able to see herself, Steve’s slack-jawed expression told her all she needed to know.

“I guess that means you think I look beautiful?”

“You look more than beautiful, doll. You don’t know how badly I want to rip that dress off of you and…”

“Don’t you dare! I think this is my new favorite dress. A close second would probably be the one that’s dark red. Perfect for feeding in.”

“What red dress? You’re saying there’s more clothing back there?”

“Enough for both of us. Go take a look.”

Natasha pushed Steve into the master bedroom and towards the closet. With just one brief glance, he found more clothing than he would know what to do with. After quickly searching for something to wear that would replace his own tattered jeans and t-shirt, he came back with a pair of relaxed fit black jeans, a deep crimson V-Neck t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Natasha whistled appreciatively, not knowing if she would still be able to whistle, when he stepped back into the living room. When they had been human, she constantly hit Steve with jokes about his fashion sense and old man clothes as Tony had called them. She never thought he would take her advice on appearance but knew as she looked him up and down, he was a fast learner and her fangs dropped in hunger.

“Not right now, Nat. What do you say we have a night on the town. We’ve already fed, so the thirst should be sated for now. What do you say we go dancing?”

Natasha smiled at the suggestion and slipped on a pair of high heeled shoes that matched her new dress. Steve had also found a pair of boots that he was wearing, but with the sun still up, they couldn’t leave yet. With a few hours left until nightfall, they turned on the television HYDRA had been using to monitor the Avengers and caught the report of Tony’s upcoming press conference.

“Good afternoon, if you’re just joining us, it was announced earlier today that in two days Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man would be holding a press conference to address the recent campfire slaughter and what response the Avengers would have. Speculation has run rampant for a week now since the discovery of the campsite that it was at first wild animals. Now reports have surfaced that these innocent men were killed in some sort of terroristic actions.”

Steve looked over to Natasha, and she had a satisfied smirk on her face. She knew that the campers had only partially been killed by wolves. This was the same report Steve had been watching before he had completed his transformation. He had nearly killed Tony for the suggestion that Natasha had been responsible, but now her face is telling him a different story.

“The campsite attack, it was you, wasn’t it Natasha?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me when I told you of Tony’s suspicions?”

“Because you hadn’t completed your turn to one of the undead yet, and I wasn’t sure how you’d react. But even then; back at that campsite, I hadn’t fully become a vampire yet. But the thirst got to me and I needed to feed. I almost came back to the compound because I missed you. But I wasn’t ready to feed on you yet, and if I’d tried then while you were still human, before I bit you, you would have killed me.”

“Nat…no…I wouldn’t have killed you. I would have continued to try and figure out what was wrong, and then did everything I could to find a cure.”

“So let me guess, you’re mad at me?”

“Mad? No, I’m furious! You lied to me again!”

“Steve, I know I said I wouldn’t lie to you again, but you have to understand, I fed on those campers so I wouldn’t feed on you. I really did miss you during that week away. At that point I was hoping that this…my becoming a vampire again wasn’t really happening.”

Steve looked over at Natasha and knew her statement was sincere. She knew that she was becoming a vampire again and if she had been around him, would have been unable to control herself. She would have drained him dry and if a cure had been possible, she wouldn’t have been able to live with the fact that she killed him when she became human again.

“So you did this to protect me? Then you fed on me anyway.”

“I did, but only because…well you know why. I don’t think we need to rehash our argument from before your final turn.”

“No, we don’t. But you were right, I voluntarily drank your blood, because I did want this. So I think I can understand the thirst getting to you.”

“Good…,”

“But we also need to lay down some ground rules. I told Tony not to come after us, but we need to avoid more incidents like this.”

“What are you suggesting? That we stop feeding? You know that we can’t do that. Blood is all that keeps us alive.”

“I’m not suggesting that we stop feeding. But we need to control the thirst in a way that will keep our former team from tracking us down. Feeding on the HYDRA agents could be considered justified, they did try to kill us. We should try and feed on only the worst of society. At least then, we’ll be doing some good with our new abilities.”

“So criminals, drug dealers, bad people, that’s what you’re suggesting? You still want to be the hero.”

“I never wanted to be the hero, Nat. I told you I just always wanted to do what’s right. What’s right and wrong for us may have changed, but there’s nothing that says that as vampires, we have to be like Dracula was. He killed for the thrill of it, to increase his power. We can choose to defy the nature that humans would use to label us monsters. You said it yourself, we can choose to live our lives how we want.”

“Should have known turning you into a vampire like me wouldn’t erase your moral compass.”

“Does that upset you?” 

“No, it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you. What the hell, let’s give it a shot. But what about Tony? He won’t see us as still trying to do good.”

“Tony doesn’t matter. My statement to him stands. They leave us alone and if they don’t then we protect ourselves. If we have to turn them so they’ll understand, then that’s what we do.”

Natasha leaned her head on Steve’s shoulder as the news report came to an end. They cuddled until the last rays of sunlight disappeared to be replaced by a moonless night. Upon leaving the cabin, Steve led Natasha to an unmarked black HYDRA S.U.V. that they drove into a small town. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Steve's a vampire, accepting his new fate, but still somewhat clinging to his humanity. Even though in the last chapter he mercilessly bit into Tony's neck and threatened the rest of the Avengers. I said in the opening notes that this was a way to challenge myself, and the story is going to take a darker turn with some twists along the way before the end. Natasha's already reverted to some of her darker instincts from her time as the Red Room assassin now that she's a vampire. There just may be a time that Steve goes fully into it as well. Goes with out saying, but please feel free to leave feedback on what you liked or didn't. Any constructive comments are always appreciated as they help me improve. Thanks.


	8. Press Conference

The two days passed and the press conference was set to happen at the U.N. building for Tony’s statement on the campfire slaughter, the mission that they had been on, and the most important statement of all. The news of Captain America and the Black Widow would be his last reveal. Both teams of Avengers were present with the exception of Thor as he had returned to Asgard to protect his home while his father was in the Odinsleep. The East coast team was seated on the left of the podium while the West Coast was on the right side. The room fell deathly silent as Tony stepped up on the stage.

During their impromptu date night, Steve and Natasha had realized that Avengers Compound would be empty. It was the perfect time for them to leave their little gift to the team. Steve would undertake this mission while Natasha would be at the press conference. They had learned that both teams would be there, and she couldn’t help but to want to see Clint and Bobbi one more time. But she also had an ulterior motive in mind, and Bobbi was her primary target. She also had to briefly split her focus, keeping in mental contact with Steve as he shifted his human form to mist and entered the front gate of the compound undetected, while Tony began speaking.

“Good evening. I’ve called this press conference to publically explain why the Avengers have been unresponsive in regards to the campfire slaughter that occurred two weeks ago now. First let me say that this was a wholly unfortunate incident and we have nothing but sympathy for the families of the dead.”

“Mr. Stark…it’s all well and good of you to claim sympathy…but what have you done to bring the terrorists who committed this atrocity to justice?”

“Ms. Everhart…the Avengers are on full alert and doing everything we can to dispense the proper justice. As this moment we have several leads on the group that perpetrated these vile actions. You can see both teams of the Avengers present here with me tonight. All our resources are working overtime…”

“But where were the Avengers when this attack occurred? This campsite was barely thirty miles from your compound. It seems to me that the land you own, should have been occupied. You could have stopped this atrocity and saved those men.”

“Ms. Everhart, as you are no doubt aware, the Avengers deal with global threats on a daily basis…”

“So you’re saying a local threat didn’t warrant your attention? Mr. Stark…”

“That is not what I’m saying at all. The West Coast team was away from their respective compound on an overseas mission when this attack occurred. Had we been in New York, then yes, this incident would not have happened. We, the East Coast branch had just returned from a mission and were deep in mourning. The reason we were not aware of this attack was at the time it occurred we were burying two of our own.”

The room fell silent for a moment at Tony’s revelation and Natasha could sense what he was about to say. She had just been about to use her hypnosis on Bobbi, knowing that the blonde still had a latent connection to Dracula. But Tony’s words made her stop and relay the conversation to Steve.

“You were burying two of your own, Mr. Stark? Who exactly would those two be?”

“Have you not noticed who is not on the stage with us tonight, Ms. Everhart? Remember that normally these speeches are given by the world’s first super-soldier, the First Avenger. I have reluctantly taken on the responsibility of delivering this speech as on our mission…I regret to inform you all that Captain America and the Black Widow were killed in action.”

Natasha smirked as she processed Tony’s words and rubbed a fake tear from his eye. If it wouldn’t have given her away, she would have clapped in response. Instead, she just relayed another thought to Steve as she could feel that he was almost done depositing the bag of files and HYDRA uniforms at the main entrance of the compound.

_“We need to leave a thank you note to Tony for declaring us killed in action, Steve. He’s playing the press masterfully right now.”_

Steve could only laugh in response as he did scribble out a thank you note to go along with the you’re welcome before leaving them both on the bag. Silently he shifted his body back to mist and departed the way he came. Natasha had ceased their conversation when she felt him leave, and focused her attention on Bobbi up on the stage while the conference continued on.

Bobbi could feel a presence trying to make eye contact with her and diverted her attention from the rest of Tony’s comments. She was only there with her team to present a united front and looked out into the crowd. When she looked one specific way, she found the eyes staring at her, and her mind immediately went blank, hearing only a voice in her head.

_“Bobbi, don’t react. Don’t move. Just listen to me and what I have to say. It’s been a few years since you were in Transylvania. I know what happened to you back then. I know you were forced to drink the blood of Dracula. Even now, you still have nightmares from those few weeks. You can’t deny it.”_

Natasha stopped her communication for just a moment as she felt a question forming in Bobbi’s mind. Seeing no harm in letting the question be telepathically asked, she let her friend speak back.

_“Who are you? How do you know all this?”_

_“Who I am doesn’t matter at the moment, Bobbi. You just need to know that the nightmares you’ve been having, they’re because you’re still connected to Dracula. He may be dead, but you drank his blood. I know you can still feel the power he gave you coursing through your veins. You have a choice.”_

_“What choice?”_

_“Accept that power. Accept the thirst. Live eternally as a vampire.”_

_“I don’t want that life. I’ll never go back to that.”_

_“You can say that. Deny your choice now, but still be reborn as one of the undead either through time, or your death on a mission. One way or another, becoming a vampire again is all that’s left for you.”_

Knowing that she had sown seeds of doubt in Bobbi’s mind, Natasha pulled back from the blonde Avenger’s mind. Her task had only just begun and would culminate in a few weeks-time. But before she left the press conference she caught errant thoughts in Bobbi’s mind, all tied back to her time as one of Dracula’s brides. She was still in a trance as the conference wrapped up. Bobbi didn’t hear any of Clint’s tribute to Steve and Natasha, the questions from the press or Tony’s closing comments. She only snapped back to reality when Clint placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey Bobbi, you okay?”

“Huh?”

“You were kind of out of it there. Tony asked you to speak in tribute to Nat, but it seems you didn’t hear him.”

“I’m sorry…I should have been paying more attention. I guess being back in New York is affecting me more than I thought it would.”

“I see, well come on. We’re going back to the Compound. After that mission and two long flights, you’re probably jet-lagged. We’ll get some rest and attack the problem fresh in the morning.”

Bobbi forced a smile for Clint, but internally she was reeling. She was still hearing the voice in her head, and though it sounded familiar, she couldn’t place the why. The words were echoing on repeat. And for the first time in years, she had doubts that she was ever truly freed from the vampire’s embrace. Because if Natasha had once again succumbed, there was the chance that she would as well.

Natasha had just rejoined Steve at their cabin as he was watching the replay of the press conference. He listened as Tony blathered on with the typical Stark ego, and feigned being genuinely upset as he reported that Captain America and Black Widow were killed in action. He and Tony had never really gotten along, they worked together, but the genius’ ego always clashed with the analytical and tactical mind of the soldier. Natasha came in and kicked off her shoes before settling down on the couch and leaning her head against Steve’s shoulder.

“You know Nat, I always thought Tony would learn to shut up one day. But watching this I’ve realized he really does love to listen to himself talk.”

“Come on Steve, you’re just figuring that out now? Are you regretting not breaking his jaw before taking his blood?”

“Maybe a little bit. Part of me wishes he would come after us. Draining him dry and ripping out his vocal chords before he makes the turn into a ghoul would be doing the world a favor as far as I’m concerned.”

Natasha laughed and smacked Steve with one of the throw pillows from the couch before turning her attention back to the television. In her mind, turning Tony would bring the billionaire down a peg or two as he would only be allowed to use that brain of his to find a way for vampires to walk in the daylight without bursting into flame. But she did want Steve to see what she had accomplished, and directed his attention towards the camera that landed on Bobbi.

“Nat, what’s going on with Morse? She looks…”

“Like she’s in a trance? She is. I did that.”

“What did you do?”

“I hypnotized her, just another little power we have that can be extremely effective.”

“I’ll have to try that out. See if I can get Sam on our side.”

“That would be interesting. But getting back to Bobbi, under my power I forced her to relive her memories of being Dracula’s bride. Had her convinced that her only choice was to give in to the thirst, to become a vampire again.”

“You think it worked?”

“It will when I’m done with her. It’s going to happen whether she wants it to or not. Old age or her premature death on a mission will reawaken her as one of the undead. We have all the time in the world for it to happen.”

“But you’re not going to wait, are you?”

“Where’s the fun in that? I’ll get her to turn, and then, she’ll get Clint to turn. Think about it Steve, our own little vampire family.”

Steve couldn’t help but think about it as they moved off to their bedroom to sleep the day away. He remembered the power Bobbi had displayed those few years ago when she went one on one with Clint during the battle. But as he lay there, waiting to fall asleep, Natasha’s passion erupted and she climbed on top of him. She was thoroughly enjoying learning about this darker side of her husband that she didn’t know Captain America could be capable of. Turning him into a vampire had finally allowed him to be who she always knew he could. The thought comforted her as her passion died down and she moved on to preparing her plan of corrupting and turning Bobbi Morse.

The press conference had lasted well past midnight and when the Avengers returned to the compound, they were all caught by surprise at the bundle sitting on their doorstep. Tony kneeled down to pick up the notes as the rest of the teams flanked him in protection detail. The first note was written by Steve and he frowned in dismay as he read it.

_“Tony, Natasha and I wanted to offer you our thanks for declaring us killed in action to the press tonight. Your words have set us free and we can really now live how we want to. Remember, I warned you not to come looking for us though. Anyway, you’ll never find us. You may be a genius, but you still can’t see what’s right in front of you, Steve.”_

Tony was furious at the note that Steve left. Rogers was deliberately mocking him with the note and his resolve to find and end Steve and Natasha intensified in that moment. Thinking about those words, he was almost hesitant to open the second note, until Sam kneeled down and ripped open the bag to see the HYDRA uniforms covered in blood along with the files. The second note was written in Natasha’s hand writing.

_“Tony, you really can be so damn stupid at times. You just had to try and get me to drink pig’s blood while you worked on a cure instead of listening to Dr. Strange. Maybe if you hadn’t done that, the cure would have worked. Sure I took the blood of those campers, and I’ll let you in on a little secret, I enjoyed every minute of it. But it was Steve’s blood that completed my final transformation into the vampire I am. So for that I have to thank you. Oh, you didn’t know it because I hacked FRIDAY and had her disable the cameras in my cell, but Steve spent several nights in there with me.” _

_“Every night I fed on a little more of his blood, knowing what it would do. He was well into his own transformation before Strange even came back with the cure. So I guess I should tell you that Steve wants to thank you for helping him accept the gift of vampirism. He wouldn’t have wanted it if not for your ignorance . And to show our appreciation, we decided to leave you and the team a little gift. We found a small contingent of HYDRA agents not far from the compound. By now one of you has opened the bag accompanying this note and found the files and blood soaked uniforms. They’re dead, the Avengers are safe, so you’re welcome, Natasha.”_

Tony screamed in rage as he crumpled and tossed the two notes in the air. In the next seconds his nanotech gauntlet encased his arm as he fired off a repulsor blast as the notes came falling back to earth. Not only were Steve and Natasha mocking him, they both outright stated that their becoming vampires was his fault. All of a sudden his P.T.S.D. from the battle of New York, and the vision Wanda had given him of being the only survivor on the team came flooding back. As he stood up, he spoke with a tone of voice no one had ever heard from him before.

“Sam…Rhodey…get rid of that bag of bloody HYDRA uniforms. I don’t want to see it again. The rest of you, go get some sleep. We’re not waiting for Strange and Blade to come back. Tomorrow, we use every resource we have and we find Steve and Natasha. Then we kill them or we die trying.”

Tony stalked back into the compound and made straight for his lab. The rest of the Avengers simply followed and made for their own quarters. All except for Bruce who knew Tony was in a dangerous mindset and had to be there to calm the billionaire down. 

Half a world away in the darkest recesses of his castle, a Vampire Lord was using his powers to observe these events. His plan was in motion and it all started with taking vengeance on an Avenger, who was now one of his kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Nat mock Tony after the events of the last chapter, outright blaming him for their turning into vampires. Story is still going to get darker as we go along and I'm thinking this challenge I made for myself is somewhat working. Also I included the first mention of the Vampire pulling all the strings for Steve and Natasha. Chapter 9, 10 and 11 are almost done and we get a special appearance in 9 from a certain Daywalker who I've mentioned here before. Events of that chapter tie directly into the Blade Trilogy starring Wesley Snipes, which I had to draw on for slight inspiration. Like the characters in this story, I own none of the plot from those movies but had to give them mention. Comments are welcomed, so let me know what ya'll think.


	9. The Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9, Blade makes his first appearance with this chapter taking inspiration from the trilogy. Most of his appearance ties to the first two and I have him already knowing Hannibal King so that part of this chapter deviates slightly from Blade: Trinity. Also Dr. Strange knows of Blade as well, for the narrative he's been operating as the Sorcerer Supreme a longer period of time. It's been a while since I've seen those movies so I adjusted a little bit on what I do remember. All credit goes to the creators of those movies and Marvel Comics for my use of the character. Just felt like the story needed him.

Dr. Strange had been meeting with Blade several times over the course of the last few years. The Vampire Hunter has been decimating vampire covens since he was old enough to fight. Six months ago, vampires led by Deacon Frost had invaded his home, and took their revenge against Blade’s mentor, his father figure. Abraham Whistler had looked after the young boy ever since the day he found him hiding in an alley, but not understanding who or what he was. All the boy knew was the thirst. Whistler had been bitten and asked Blade to kill him, but he couldn’t do it. Instead of succumbing to the change, Whistler chose to shoot himself as Blade walked away. 

Eventually after tracking the coven for those six months after killing Frost, a year and a half later Blade once again found Whistler. He had turned anyway and was used as a source of nourishment for the coven. Blade’s vengeance was swift, and he once again had a chance to kill his mentor. He still couldn’t do it and brought the old man back to their new headquarters. After days of leaving Whistler locked in confinement, the change was reversed with an older cure and practically cold turkey.

“Kept me locked up while force feeding me only to drain me. The least they could have done was fixed my damn leg.”

Whistler had regained his humanity and returned to his mission of helping Blade hunt down vampires. The work was getting done until a new group of vampires came to them, seeking an alliance.

“Stop!”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill all of you right now.”

“You started this fight. We came to you for help.”

“You’re pure bloods. Why would I…help you?”

“This is why.”

Nyssa, the female leader of the Blood Pack pulled up security footage of a blood bank being robbed. It was one of their most secure locations and the footage showed a man walking in and ripping everyone to shreds. He was clearly a vampire, the likes of which Blade had never seen before.

“They’re being called Reapers. We believe this new sub-species of vampires all started with him. His name is Nomak. He has one goal, create more of his kind and wipe out all of us.”

“Sounds like he’s doing me a favor.”

“You don’t get it Blade. Think about how long it takes a human to succumb to vampirism. Three days after being drained, force fed and they awaken. Reapers don’t work like that. We don’t know how it happens, but once a vampire is bitten by a reaper, the change takes hours, not days. And we’re not his only targets. He’s going after humans and vampires alike. The only thing we fear more than them, is you.”

“So let me get this straight, you want me…to hunt them…for you?”

“You’re the only one who can. All of our strengths, none of our weaknesses. We’ll give you forty-eight hours to decide.”

The Blood Pack departed leaving Blade, Whistler and Scud to contemplate their options. The battle wasn’t exactly a win-win, but the Reapers were a bigger threat than the ruling houses. One other person was witness to these events and he had remained hidden, until Blade called him out.

“You can come out from wherever you’re hiding, Strange. I’ve known you were there for some time.”

“I wish I had come under better circumstances Blade. It seems like our vampire enemies are multiplying.”

“That is what they do. Why are you here? Cure didn’t work, did it?”

“She took human blood. Black Widow is a vampire now. So is Captain America. And Stark is about to go off the deep end. I checked in on him in my Astral form. He’s planning all-out war on his former friends.”

“Stark’s a pain in the ass, Strange. Always has been.”

“I imagine you would know that very well, Whistler. Especially considering your turbulent history with his father.”

“Howard was a good man, but he ignored the threats right in front of him. Tried to tell him about vampires, but he chalked it all up to old children’s stories. If I could have gotten him to develop technology that would help in the hunt, we wouldn’t be where we are right now.”

“Can’t help you right now Strange. The Reapers are my main problem.”

“Blade…”

“I only said I couldn’t help you. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to get you some help. Find a man named Hannibal King. He leads the Night-stalkers.”

Dr. Strange turned away and opened himself back up to the Astral plane. He didn’t know who this Hannibal King was, but if Blade knows him, he must be local. With the time he had, Stephen looked for sightings of vampire clans around the city. He was using the same method he used to locate Blade and found a vampire safe house with a team of mercenaries about to make their presence known.

“Explosives are set; King. Give the word and we’ll smoke the suck-heads out of their hole.”

“Blow the doors. Let’s light them up.”

Dr. Strange was impressed at the efficiency of the Night-stalkers as they methodically worked their way through the safe house. The worked like a well-trained military unit, decimating every vampire that crossed their paths. He was still a doctor at heart, and still found killing distasteful. His short time as the Sorcerer Supreme taught him that sometimes when dealing with mystical and supernatural threats that are out to kill you, you have to defend those you swore to protect and save. When the slaughter ended, he revealed himself.

“Hannibal King, I need your help.”

King spun in a circle to face the voice that had spoken and knew his name. He had his weapon raised and ready to fire if this person was a threat. The blue intangible form was not something he expected to see as it opened up a whole new world of unbelievable things for him to deal with. And he killed vampires for a living.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

“My name is Dr. Stephen Strange. I need your help.”

“Who told you about the Night-stalkers?”

“Blade, he told me I needed to find you.”

While Strange was explaining his situation and hoping King would agree to help, Steve and Natasha were back at their cabin after having fed on a gang of drug dealers who had caused the death of a group of teenagers. In the three weeks now she had turned and subsequently turned him, she was glad to have him by her side, holding her steady and not completely surrendering to the thirst. But part of her still wanted more. She could feel her old habits learned from years in the Red Room coming back, and the thought of taking on more high profile threats, not just local scum was intoxicating. She wasn’t aware of it yet, but there was another force at work, causing her to have these desires. 

It had also been a week since she hypnotized Bobbi and messed with the blonde’s resolve. In that week, she and Steve had learned even more about their abilities and found they could shape-shift into human sized bats. Wanting to test this, the couple flew towards the Avengers compound, concealing themselves in the forest as she began mentally searching for Bobbi on the grounds. 

Natasha’s efforts were rewarded as Bobbi stepped out under the starlit sky, a thin nightgown and bathrobe her only protection against the cool night air. The redhead knew in that instant that she had awoken her friend from a fitful sleep, she could feel it in the blonde’s mind. This was fortuitous as it made the task at hand much easier.

_“Bobbi…leave the safety of the compound. Come out into the woods.”_

With her eyes glazed over, Bobbi couldn’t fight back against the voice in her head. She slowly stepped forward and pressed her hand to the access panel, opening the gate. With a calm and steady walk, she continued to move forward until a mist began to envelop her. Natasha had shifted form as soon as Bobbi was ten feet from her and continued to telepathically control the blonde’s mind.

_“Bobbi, you remember what I told you those few nights ago. The thirst will always be a part of you. You want the power you were gifted by Dracula back. I can grant you that power. You just have to admit it to yourself.”_

Under Natasha’s powerful hypnosis, Bobbi was tempted and willing to accept whatever the voice in her head was offering to her. She had no control over her actions and spoke, confirming what Natasha already knew.

“Yes…I want that power. The eternal life I once had. The taste of the blood as I tore into the throats of those who feared me. Make me what I once was, make me a vampire.”

_“Welcome home; Bobbi.”_

Natasha kept most of her body in mist form, but gave her face physical mass and bared her fangs. With Bobbi responding to her every command, Natasha leaned in and bit into her friend’s jugular. It was just a small bite, she only took enough blood to get the vampire venom into Bobbi’s bloodstream. But she couldn’t have the Avengers using the cure on her either, so she took the process one step further.

When Natasha let go of Bobbi’s neck, she reformed her arm and sliced a small wound open, placing it to the blonde’s mouth. With the taste of blood on her lips, Bobbi began to drink, greedily gulping the thick warm liquid down. With Natasha’s blood in her system, enacting the first stages of her transformation, she fell to the ground unconscious. She remained there for the rest of the night. With one last look back at her soon to be sister, Natasha returned to the forest and Steve, who had been keeping watch.

“It won’t be long, Steve.”

“I didn’t say anything Nat.”

“You didn’t need to. I could see it in the look on your face. Bobbi had this power once before. I only had to remind her of it and the rest was simple.”

“You know she’ll fight against the transformation.”

“Of course she will, and all her struggles will only serve to hasten her return to the ranks of the undead. I could feel it in her as I bit into her throat, she wanted this almost as much as you did.”

As Steve and Natasha departed, the redhead knew she’d have to continue coming to the compound to further Bobbi’s turn. Bobbi had only gotten a small amount of her blood, just enough to keep her wanting more. Over the next few nights, her nightmares would become more intense as her transformation accelerated. 

The next morning, Clint woke up to find himself alone. Bobbi had gone to sleep beside him, but her side of the bed was empty. The sheets cold. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he walked towards the team kitchen for a cup of coffee and found Bobbi there, her head in hand and a blank look on her face.

“Bobbi?”

“Hmm?”

“How long have you been out here? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a nightmare.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Can’t remember it. Don’t worry Clint, I’ll be fine.”

As Bobbi got up to leave, Clint noticed she seemed more pale than normal and gently squeezed her hand, only to get the sensation of her skin being ice cold. She turned her head to give him a kiss on the cheek and he thought he caught sight of two puncture wounds on her neck. With a second glance, her neck looked normal. Clint shook his head, still trying to wake himself up. He knew he was looking for things that weren’t there. The news that Natasha had become a vampire again and turned Steve had him shaken. Bobbi had been cured, Dracula was dead. He would be damned if he lost Bobbi to the vampires again.

“Got to forget it. Bobbi worked so hard to move on from that experience. I’m just imagining things. Better go talk to Bruce, see if he was able to rein Tony in.”

Clint quickly downed the rest of his coffee and set off for the labs. He didn’t know it yet, but Bobbi was back in their room, examining the puncture wounds on her neck. In that instant, she knew that what had happened was not a nightmare. Her reflection faded from the mirror for just a minute. She knew what that meant as it reappeared and her eyes flashed red. A sinister smile graced her lips and she could see her canine teeth grow just a little bit longer. 

After covering the wounds, she heard a voice whisper in her head. It was intoxicating and seductive. She wasn’t going to fight this time. She wanted the power.

_“Embrace the thirst. Vampire.”_


	10. Turning Point

Five days had passed since Natasha made her move to convert Bobbi. The two women were now connected and the redhead could feel her friend’s sleepless nights. Through the miles, they were irrevocably linked. Natasha could tell that both branches of the Avengers were still planning to track her and Steve down as she could hear the conversations through Bobbi’s ears. While Steve had gone to feed, she waited with sadistic pride as another fight broke out.

“You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about Tony! So what, we have the numbers advantage! Every other advantage belongs to Steve and Natasha!”

“Sam…”

“Have you forgotten that they were already enhanced before they became vampires?! We don’t have a chance in hell of coming out of this alive if we confront them!”

“Bruce, off all the people in the room, I’m counting on you to have my back. Steve and Natasha are monsters now. They’ve killed…”

“A contingent of HYDRA agents, Tony.”

“Doesn’t matter. They were human. And you know what it’s like to be a monster.”

“I can’t believe you Tony. Right now you sound just like Ross. Better watch what you say because the other guy might want to come out.”

Bruce’s eyes flashed green, but he quickly got his emotions back under control. There was too much at stake for him to Hulk out in this environment when all Avengers present needed to keep calm and collected.

“Sam and Bruce are right Tony. We can’t go running off when we don’t know where Steve and Natasha are. One, it would be a wild goose chase…two…it would give them exactly what they want. We go after them; they don’t hesitate to kill us. But if you can’t control your ego long enough to realize that they’re baiting you in to do something stupid, go ahead. Get yourself killed or turned.”

“I never thought you’d be a coward; Barton. You followed Steve through the figurative gates of hell when Bobbi and Nat had been turned the last time. Why is now any different?”

Natasha was laughing as tensions continued to rise among the Avengers. Bobbi could hear the laughter in her head, and smirked. Her thoughts mashed up with the voice as in her thoughts she realized that when she was a vampire again, she was going to enjoy ripping these pathetic humans apart. She was going to save Clint for last, and enjoy every minute of it for the pain he caused her the last time. His death would be agonizingly slow right before she turned him. When she felt eyes on her, Bobbi spoke.

“You all sound like squabbling children! Wanting to kill two people who were your friends and family just because you don’t like what they’ve become? Nat and Steve really haven’t done anything wrong. So they eliminated a HYDRA cell. Honestly, it sounds like they did you all a favor.”

Everyone was shocked at Bobbi’s outburst and sat there in silence as she stormed out of the room. Clint was immediately following after her, worried out of his mind. While he hadn’t said anything, he noticed every time Bobbi slept all day and was wandering the grounds at night. 

“Bobbi! Bobbi; wait up!”

Bobbi sighed in anger, but stopped as Clint caught up to her. Her fury intensified as he grabbed hold of her arm, causing her eyes to briefly flash red. For a moment, she thought about biting him right then and there, but held back. She wasn’t ready and if she did anything, the rest of the team would take the actions they hadn’t with Natasha.

“You want to explain all that to me Bobbi? From my perspective it sounded like you were defending Steve and Natasha. We all know what they’ve become. Maybe right now they’re still trying to do some good, but honestly, how long will that last?”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you Clint. Natasha’s your best friend, you used to think of her as a sister. You didn’t judge her for her past when you brought her to S.H.I.E.L.D., why are you doing it now?!”

“Because she’s not the Natasha I know. Not the one I fought beside.”

“You don’t know that, not for sure.”

Clint paused, he had been so wrapped up in the planning of finding Steve and Nat that his observational skills were not as attuned to his wife’s problems as they should have been. For just a microsecond, he caught sight of Bobbi’s teeth. Her canines looked slightly longer than normal and as he shifted his eyes further down, he took instant notice of the choker around her neck. 

“Maybe you’re right Bobbi. Maybe we’re grasping at straws here. And I guess I should apologize to you.”

“For what?”

“I’ve been ignoring you. I’m so caught up in the fact that two of my best friends are vampires that I’ve missed all the signs. You’re still having nightmares. I hear you cry out in the little sleep you’re getting. Something’s been off with you for this past week and I think I know what it is.”

“What do you think it is Clint? You think I’m hiding something from you? Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do. But tell me, that choker you’re wearing, when did you get it?”

“I’ve always had it. I just haven’t worn it often. Why?”

“Just something I need to check.”

Clint reached forward and pulled the choker off of Bobbi’s neck. It came free with a ripping sound and he immediately began looking for bite marks. When he didn’t find any, his eyes met Bobbi’s and he could tell she was furious.

“What the hell was that for Clint? You honestly think I’m hiding something from you? Marriage is about trust. It’s clear to me that I trust you, but you can’t give me the same consideration.”

“Bobbi…I…”

“Save it. Go find another room to sleep in tonight. I can’t be around you right now.”

There was an edge to Bobbi’s voice that Clint hadn’t heard in a while. The last time she had been this angry with him, their marriage had a hit a rough patch and they separated for a while. Before he could speak to apologize again, Bobbi had turned and started to walk away. She was hearing the voice in her head again.

_“Clint doesn’t understand what you’re going through, Bobbi. He can’t comprehend the choice you’ve made. At least not yet. In time he will.”_

_“But I think he knows. Or at least suspects something. What do I do?”_

_“Leave the Avengers compound. There’s a hotel not far away. Tell him you need some time to think.”_

Clint was more confused than before as Bobbi continued to walk away. Not wanting to let their fight end like this, he quickly dashed down the hall and stopped in front of her. Upon looking in her eyes, she had the same glazed look that she had at the press conference. With a last ditch effort to stop her, he grabbed hold of her shoulders but she struggled to escape his grasp. His grip intensified and she snapped awake.

“Let me go Clint. I told you I can’t be around you. You stay here, I’m going to a hotel.”

“Bobbi…”

“I need some time to think. Some time to figure some things out. When I’ve done that and I’m ready, we’ll talk.”

Clint couldn’t do anything else but let her go. But Bobbi said they would talk when she was ready, he would see her again. Her comment about trust had hit him hard and he had to prove he always trusted her, so he didn’t follow. When Bobbi arrived at the hotel after borrowing one of the Avengers unmarked vehicles, she was lucky they had a room left. She booked for three days and quickly got settled in, not realizing that she had fallen directly into Natasha’s trap. 

Bobbi was desperately trying to fall asleep, but couldn’t find a comfortable position. The room began to feel sweltering so she got up and opened the window. With the cool air rushing in, the blonde began taking deep breaths to calm her rapid heartbeat. Soon enough her mind went blank and she was lost in her nightmares. She didn’t feel the fangs pierce her skin or her head being lifted to once again feed on Natasha’s blood. 

Natasha had accelerated her plans after listening to the conversations through her control of Bobbi. While Steve’s transformation had taken nearly a full week, Bobbi’s would require less time without a super-soldier serum to fight the virus. When Natasha felt that Bobbi had gulped down of enough of her blood to complete the change, she pulled her arm back. It was only a matter of time before her new sister woke and the redhead waited as Bobbi’s heart began to beat slower and slower until it finally stopped all together.

“Sleep well, sister. Soon enough you will have the power I promised you. Then you can make Clint understand.”

Natasha turned into mist and let herself be carried away by the breeze before turning back into her bat form and flying back to the cabin. When she got back, Steve was waiting.

“Bobbi’s a vampire now, isn’t she?”

“Not yet. Buts she was already turning when I left. I was surprised that she didn’t fight the transformation as hard as I thought she would.”

“You can be very persuasive, Nat. But I know you were following Tony’s diatribe through your control of Bobbi. What did he say?”

“Hasn’t given up. Those notes we left seemed to really get to him. Bruce did manage to rein him in though.”

Steve wrapped his arm around Natasha’s shoulder as she leaned into him. She could feel the presence that had been pushing her towards fully embracing her nature and the thirst getting stronger, and through her bond with Steve, she could tell he was feeling it too. He wasn’t ready yet, but she knew he would be and would abandon his moral compass all together once the Avengers came for them. It was just a matter of time.

Bobbi spent her three days in the hotel in a state of death like sleep as her transformation finalized itself. Before settling in she had placed a do not disturb sign on the door so housekeeping wouldn’t bother her. On the last night she had booked, she woke up. The blonde was feeling more rested than ever and padded from the bedroom to the bathroom. Upon flipping on the light she looked in the mirror and saw nothing. Vicious laughter exploded from her throat as she accepted that she had gotten what she wanted and was a vampire again. She could feel the power coursing through her veins and ran her tongue along her new fangs. 

“All right Clint, it’s time for us to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony is starting to go off the deep end, his anger at Steve and Natasha growing exponentially. Even causes him to call Bruce a monster, risking the emergence of the other guy. Natasha finishes turning Bobbi, and we have a third vampire Avenger now. Getting closer to the reveal of who the Vampire Lord is. Chapters 11 and 12 coming soon.


	11. Barton

Bobbi was ready to go back to the compound and show Clint how much she had changed. She knew he had suspected something in the way he ripped the choker from her throat and she wasn’t going to go easy on him. When she had packed her clothes, she left the room and made her way to check out. The guests in the lobby all moved away as she passed by them. She could feel the fear in them and smell their blood. While she could easily let her thirst run wild and slaughter these people, she wanted her first taste of blood to come from her husband.

“Good evening Mrs. Barton. Checking out?”

“Yes…I needed some time away from my husband, but I realize I was just being foolish. I’m going to go back home and see him.”

“I hope the two of you work things out. And we hope you enjoyed your stay with us.”

“My time in your hotel was well spent. I enjoyed it immensely. And don’t worry, my husband and I will be just fine.”

As she made the twenty minute drive back to the compound, Bobbi could feel a presence tracking her off in the woods. She knew she didn’t need to fear it, because whoever it was projected only welcoming thoughts and no intention of harming her. When she pulled up the gate, she heard the voice that had been speaking to her this past week, but this time she knew who it was.

_“Bobbi, come out to the woods. We’ll be waiting.”_

The blonde stepped out of the car with a confidence in her gait, and determination in her eyes. She made her way to the spot where she could feel her kindred and spoke as soon as they came into view.

“Natasha, Steve. It’s been a long time.”

“Too long Bobbi. I have to say, you look so much better than the last time I saw you. How do you feel?”

“I feel free, Natasha. I feel like I could take on the world. Thank you for giving me back this life, my power. I didn’t realize how much I’d been denying how bad I wanted this.”

“You’re part of our family now Bobbi. The powers you gained from Dracula were only a tenth of what we can truly do. Do you know who your first target is?”

Bobbi smiled brightly in the moonlight. Her fangs were fully formed, shining in the light as they contrasted with her blood red lips and pale skin. Natasha smiled back, her own fangs showing. 

“Go get him, Bobbi. Clint didn’t understand before, but you can make him understand now. He won’t be able to resist you, and you know it. Give him a taste of your power.”

“I intend to. I’ll make him want this life.”

Bobbi flashed one more fiendish smile for her family as her eyes turned red, before she walked away. She could sense Clint fast asleep, but it would be a simple process to invade his thoughts and get him to come to her. Quickly she got back in the car and drove through the gate, parking before making her way to a bench in front of the compound and reaching out with her mind. She could still sense Steve and Natasha in the woods, telepathically whispering words of encouragement to her before withdrawing from her mind. They would still be there when she brought Clint outside the compound.

_“Clint…wake up. Clint, I think I’m ready to talk now. Come outside.”_

Bobbi could feel Clint stirring from his sleep as he looked for her. He remembered that she had left three days ago, but he could feel her presence at the compound. Quickly throwing on a pair of shoes and a shirt with the jeans he was already wearing. He stepped out the main entrance and began looking for his wife. He found her not to long after, her blonde hair glistening in the moonlight and came to sit down beside her.

“Bobbi…I really have to apologize for my actions three days ago. I was stupid and insensitive…”

“And a jerk...”

“I know. This situation with Steve and Nat has me on edge. I took it out on you and there was no excuse for that. You know I trust you.”

“I was in the wrong as well, Clint. I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have left like that. I should have stayed so we could work this out. I didn’t want us to separate for real this time.”

“Neither did I. I just…”

“Hey, let’s go for a walk.”

“Right now…? It’s the middle of the night. Where could you possibly want to go for a walk right now?”

“Just a walk, Clint. It’s a beautiful night, can’t I just want to spend it with my husband?”

Clint looked over to Bobbi now, he hadn’t yet as he thought all the anger and pain from three days ago would come rushing back after he ripped her choker off. But there was a serene smile on her face and her eyes were shining brightly. With a glance at her from head to toe, all his anger and frustration washed away as he took in how she was dressed. He liked the tight fitting black jeans, and the low cut gray shirt all covered by a crimson knee length jacket.

“Let’s go for a walk, but can I say one thing before we do?”

“Sure.”

“You look absolutely stunning Bobbi. Those clothes must be new. You get them while you were away?”

“Yeah, just something I picked up. Felt like I needed a small change. Come on.”

Bobbi took Clint’s hand and led him through the gate towards the nearest edge of the woods. He still thought her flesh felt cold, but she could have been out there for a while so he ignored it for the moment. He kept his eyes on her the whole time and noticed how bright her lips looked in the moonlight. How her skin seemed to glow, giving her whole form an almost ethereal nature. They walked together for nearly an hour before he realized that they were deeper into the woods and steadily moving further away from the compound. Clint finally got curious and had to know exactly what they were doing.

“Come on Bobbi, it’s been an hour we’ve been out here. Where exactly are we going?”

“I told you, just for a walk. Be patient Clint, we’re almost there.”

“Almost where?”

“Where your life will change for the better.”

Clint now knew something was seriously off with his wife from the cryptic words she said. He was chastising himself for not bringing a weapon, and wanted to turn back, but Bobbi’s hold on his hand became like a vice grip. After just a few more minutes, Bobbi stopped walking and turned to face him.

“Okay Clint, we’re here.”

“Here, here where? All I see is the forest stretching around us for what seems like miles. Why did you bring me all the way out here Bobbi?”

“To show you the surprise I have planned. It’s something I think you’ll really like.”

Clint looked around their surroundings before focusing his eyes back on his wife. Under the canopy of trees her eyes seemed to shine brighter and he could see them well in the darkness. In the next instant he heard rustling in the brush and waited for whatever was coming towards them. His protective instincts kicked in, wanting to keep Bobbi from getting hurt as he tried to push her behind him.

“Bobbi, get back. I don’t know what’s…”

“Don’t worry, Clint. We’ll be just fine.”

Clint’s eyes started to dart around the forest, the sounds seeming to come from everywhere at once. But what he saw coming towards them was not what he had expected in the slightest. Now standing in front of him and Bobbi, were Steve and Natasha, their eyes red with hunger and their fangs easily visible despite the darkness.

“Hello Clint. It’s been a while since you’ve been back East. I’ve missed my best friend.”

“Stay away from us Nat. You’re not my best friend anymore.”

“Clint, that hurts. I’m still the same Natasha you’ve always known. All that’s changed is that I’m a vampire now. Does that really affect our friendship that much?”

“Damn sure does. And Steve, you were the personification of willpower. There was nothing you couldn’t handle when it came your way. Why would you let Natasha do this to you?”

“Because I wanted her to, Clint. Eternal life with her was better than living without her.”

Clint shook his head in disbelief. His two best friends were no longer the people they had been. The nights that they along with he and Bobbi spent hanging out were on his mind as he once again tried to move in front of Bobbi to protect her.

“Bobbi, let’s go back to the compound. We need to get away from them. Tony was right, we can’t trust Steve or Nat anymore. We’re going to have to kill them.”

Clint started to move back through the forest in a direction he hoped led towards the compound, towards safety and the other Avengers. But he had to stop when he noticed Bobbi not by his side. He turned back, seeing her standing next to Steve and Natasha.

“Bobbi, come on. Let’s go home.”

“That’s not my home anymore Clint. Why would I want to go back there? I have all the family I need right here.”

“Bobbi, you don’t know what you’re saying. Steve and Natasha aren’t your family, not like they are now. They’re monsters. The Avengers are your family.”

“No Clint, the Avengers were my family. But you, you still can be.”

Clint started backing away quicker this time, hoping to put distance between him and Bobbi as he began to realize what had happened. She had started moving closer, ready to pounce. Clint knew escape was a long shot, but he was a master at making the long shots. He turned to run and was stopped in his tracks when he ran into what felt like a brick wall.

“There is no escape Clint. You don’t have a choice here.”

Clint looked up to see Steve standing over him. He had been so focused on getting away from Bobbi that he hadn’t been paying attention to Steve or Natasha. He knew he couldn’t run, he would just get caught, so he turned back to face Bobbi. She was three feet from him now, her eyes red and her fangs dripping the venom that would make him a vampire.

“There’s always a choice Bobbi.”

“Maybe you’re right Clint. You can choose, you can let me bite you, and turn willingly. Or I can make you hurt like you hurt me with your ultra-violet sun arrows. Either way, you’re not going to escape becoming a vampire.”

“And you can choose to take the cure Bobbi. You haven’t taken human blood yet.”

“I don’t want to take the cure. I don’t want to be the weak, pathetic human I used to be. Never again.”

“Then you’re right. I choose to fight.”

Clint started throwing punches at Steve, at Natasha, all while Bobbi stepped closer. His hits were ineffective causing Natasha to laugh in disgust at him. Finally Steve had had enough and clamped his hands around Clint’s arms, holding him in place. Bobbi was now just inches from him, their faces so close together as she spoke, not a hint of breath on his skin.

“Oh Clint, I had hoped for nothing less from you. This is going to be so much more fun for me.”

Bobbi wrenched Clint’s head to the side so she could get easier access to his throat. The archer’s eyes widened in fear as her fangs grazed his flesh, followed by her tongue tasting the salt and sweat from his futile attempt at escape. He still couldn’t move and felt it as Bobbi violently ripped into his neck. He could feel the warmth of his blood as it started to seep out of him to be replaced by the vampire venom going in. Just before he passed out, he felt Bobbi pull back and ask Natasha a question.

“How long for the change to happen, Natasha?”

“You took three days. But you did say you wanted to make him hurt. Prolong his agony as long as you feel is necessary. But he won’t turn until he takes your blood.”


	12. Night-stalkers

While Clint lay in the grass unconscious, Natasha was teaching Bobbi about the multitude of forms they could shape-shift into. She remembered turning into mist to escape Clint back at Dracula’s castle, but she found both the wolf and bat forms intriguing. Being newly turned it took her a few moments of following Natasha’s instructions to picture the form she wanted before she finally felt herself get slightly taller and then look down at the wings that emerged from her back. She tentatively flapped them a few times to get used to the sensation before lifting Clint up and flying off behind Steve and Natasha towards what would be her new home.

Back at the vampire safe house, Dr. Strange had finished explaining to King and his team the situation that he was currently facing. He was crestfallen as he brought up how Captain America and the Black Widow had become vampires, but practically disappeared after leaving the compound. He hadn’t been back yet so he was unaware of the latest developments.

“Okay Strange…”

“Dr. Strange, Mr. King.”

“Whatever. I understand your concerns about Captain America and Black Widow. If they’re vampires, then yeah, they needed to be hunted down and eliminated like the rest of these suck-heads we deal with. But so far, that’s all you’ve been willing to divulge. I’ve got a few questions that need some answers.”

“Such as?”

“How long you’ve been the Sorcerer Supreme. Blade told me about the Ancient One before we went our separate ways. Said she was the most powerful sorcerer he’d ever met. Once watched her cut a vampire if half with just a sling ring portal. Another time saw her cast a spell that reduced a vampire to ash in seconds in the dead of night.”

“She certainly was gifted. She didn’t have to train me in the ways of the Mystic Arts. She actually nearly didn’t.”

“Yeah, again, answer the questions.”

“Five years, five years I’ve been the Sorcerer Supreme. The Ancient One died after a battle in the mirror dimension with Kaecillius.”

“Her first prized student, I know about him. Blade always said he was trouble. Continue.”

“She taught me a lot in the year I trained with her. She was not surprised that I could learn so quickly. Her final lessons had been about the dangers we as Sorcerers have to defend against. Vampires, werewolves, the Darkhold. And then she told me why she had chosen to train me. It was because she looked into my future, saw the potential I had. “You will be the greatest of us all, she told me.” Those words were all I could think about after she died, they inspired me to honor her memory.”

“How?”

“By flying into the breach between Earth and the Dark Dimension, trapping myself there as Dormammu attempted to kill me after I set up a time loop that would last as long as I needed until he agreed to my bargain.”

“Which was?”

“The bargain was that he would leave Earth and take his followers and I would release him.”

“You didn’t fight fair.”

“He wasn’t going to King. Why should I?”

“I’m impressed, a fledgling sorcerer defeated the ruler of the Dark Dimension. So, what do you need from us?”

“You’re going to help?”

“The Ancient One clearly chose well when she agreed to train you. You’ve got a vampire problem, Blade is obviously otherwise occupied, or he wouldn’t have sent you to us. So yeah, we’re in. When do we leave?”

“Right now.”

With Hannibal guiding him, Strange opened a portal to the Night-stalkers headquarters. Upon arrival he saw more weapons for eliminating supernatural threats than even the Sanctum’s had, if that was possible. High capacity holy water cannons, something called Sun-dogs. Countless stakes, made of both wood and silver. In that moment Stephen knew this group would be just the edge he needed when whatever plan Steve and Natasha had was implemented. 

The Night-stalkers weren’t just mercenaries, they were soldiers, warriors who had been fighting this battle for generations if the pictures on the walls were to be believed. There was even one of Whistler in his younger days and several of men that also bore his last name. At the center of it all was a portrait, old and faded. But the name under the portrait was what garnered all of the Sorcerer’s attention.

“Abraham Van Helsing. King…that can’t be…”

“Yes it is. Van Helsing was the first to take the fight to Dracula. You could say that he, Jonathan Harker, Quincy Morris, Jack Seward and Arthur Holmwood were the first Night-stalkers. Blade told me that you had lost an apprentice in battle with Dracula. You didn’t know the full history behind the bloodsucker?”

“I didn’t suspect, even after becoming the Sorcerer Supreme. I was…still am a Doctor. My life was always rooted in the sciences. What I can see, taste, smell, touch and feel.”

“The world is bigger than you know.”

I realized that two years ago, the first time the Avengers fought Dracula to save three of their own. There’s no going back this time however. So…”

“King? That you?”

A woman’s voice sounded out from a room down the hall as she had heard the voices talking. She knew that the team had come back, but the other voice she had heard was unfamiliar. In her curiosity, she stepped out to see what the discussions going on were all about. Stephen got defensive as he took in the sight of the woman with long brown hair, dark eyes and a fierce determination in her walk.

“About time you got back. Did you finally settle your falling out with Blade?”

“Blade doesn’t settle anything with anybody unless it’s a vampire. Your father told you that Abby.”

“Don’t I know it…who’s this guy?”

“Dr. Stephen Strange.”

“Sorry, I was asking King. Since you decided to interject, that a made up name?”

“No, it’s my real name. Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. You would be who, exactly?

“Abigail Whistler. Yes, my father works with Blade.”

“You know Blade?”

“No, but it seems you do, Doctor. My father doesn’t even know I joined the Night-stalkers. He didn’t want me to be a part of this life. He thinks I’m at college studying forensics. We had a falling out when I told him I wanted to hunt vampires.”

“Then no doubt he only wanted to protect you.”

“Yeah, so why is the Sorcerer Supreme here? He can’t handle whatever the threat is alone?”

“I could, but I’m also helping the Avengers. Two of their own have become vampires and Stark…”

“Egomaniac.”

“Yes Abigail, Tony does often let his ego get the better of him. It happened when he tried to cure Natasha Romanoff of her vampirism with pig’s blood. Needless to say, it didn’t work. Nor did Blade’s cure from Dr. Jensen. We’re working on a timetable and if I don’t get back to Avengers Headquarters soon, Tony will go off on his own. The other Avengers will follow and then…”

“Then you’ll have a whole team of Vampire Avengers to deal with. That’s why you need the Night-stalkers.”

“Yes.”

“Well then…let’s get armed and go.”

King and Strange watched as Abby walked over to a table and with practiced movements, slipped a quiver over her back, then a compound bow and loaded a crossbow with an arrow in a fluid motion that clearly spoke of years of practice. When she turned back, her eyes were narrowed in concentration, ready for battle in less than five minutes. Stephen was impressed; she was clearly a hunter with unparalleled skill. But she was slightly annoyed as they hadn’t moved yet.

“So, what are we waiting for?”

As the rest of the Night-stalkers filed in, all armed even though they didn’t know all the details yet, they was no hesitation at the mission they were going to undertake. It involved vampires, so they didn’t think they needed to know more.

“All right ladies and gentleman, you’re about to meet the Avengers before we go marching into the gates of hell.”

Dr. Strange opened a portal large enough for all the Night-stalkers to walk through. They soon found themselves in an open area, staring at a headquarters larger than what they had expected. The facility was massive; five separate buildings in the foreground with the outline of many more rising up. There were three futuristic jets sitting to the right on a landing strip. All of them had the Avengers logo on the wings. 

“Strange…I thought you said we were meeting the Avengers. This place looks like Disneyland. Loving all the toys.”

“King…”

“What?”

Before Stephen could respond, alarms started sounding all around the complex. The noise was deafening, and the Night-stalkers prepared for an attack. Guns were drawn, bows were loaded, and battle hardened instincts kicked in. Only the Sorcerer Supreme remained calm as Iron Man, War Machine, Vision and Falcon flew into the air to confront the potential threat. 

“You’ve just entered a secure area. This is a private facility and if you’ve come here to attack us, make no mistake the Avengers will respond with lethal force.”

Tony’s voice was amplified and he had every weapon his nanotech suit could form armed and ready to fire. Thor had just returned from Asgard and landed in the grass, lighting emanating from his body before he reached out, calling for Mjolnir. As the enchanted hammer flew into his hand, Hulk came barreling forward, smashing his fists together with a loud roar. 

“Hey…we’re not here to fight you…”

King spoke to try and explain who they were and why they were here as Dr. Strange was still standing behind them having just closed the portal. He then felt a violent punch hit him square in the jaw, which ended up knocking the Night-stalker off his feet. 

“Better stay down. You may not be here to fight, but we don’t have a problem kicking ass.”

“Who are you? More importantly, where are you?”

Before King could move, the voice that spoke startled him by enlarging himself back to full size. Ant-Man was kneeling down, one hand placed on King’s chest and another ready to hit.

“Avengers, like King said, we’re not here to fight you!”

Stephen’s voice spoke above the noise and tension in front of the building. Tony, Rhodey and Sam dropped to the ground and lowered their weapons. The rest of the Avengers were still on edge as two more of their team had gone missing late last night.

“About time you got back, Strange. You said you were bringing Blade. What did you get instead? A team of j-soc rookies who think they can match anything the Avengers have faced?”

“Wow, Stark, I see the stories about you were all accurate. It’s amazing your head can fit through that small door. Clearly your ego…”

“Not the time King. Tony, Blade’s occupied with a larger threat right now. But he sent me to this group. They’re called the Night-stalkers and I’ve seen them take out a vampire nest with my own eyes.”

“Better prove they’re worth their salt then. We don’t need to be babysitting with the problem at hand.”

“What happened now?”

“Hawkeye and Mockingbird went missing late last night. We have reason to believe that Steve and Natasha got to them.”


	13. Nothing but Time

Upon arriving at the cabin, Bobbi was impressed at the size of the building Steve and Natasha were calling home. The location had everything they would ever need to survive and be left in peace. But she knew that the Avengers were still planning on not letting that peace last. While her family settled in, Bobbi took Clint to the hidden underground facility and shackled him to a chair. She didn’t care that it was covered in dried blood, nor would she care if Clint did when he woke up. She spent hours watching him while forcing her way into his mind. The images she was showing him were more than unpleasant and his body kicked and struggled several times. 

“Fight all you want, Clint. You’re not going to get out of here.”

When morning came, Bobbi was still sitting across from her husband as he started to stir. Clint’s first instinct was to move his arms but felt resistance. As he opened his eyes, he looked down to see his body chained to a chair. Realizing for the moment that escape was impossible, he slowly looked up to see Bobbi, with an amused smirk on her face and just a hint of her fangs showing.

“Good morning, Clint. I hope you slept well.”

“Nobody could sleep well, when chained to a chair. Or have you forgotten the time you were in this position Bobbi? Have you forgotten how me, Steve and Nat came to rescue you?”

“I haven’t forgotten about that Clint. But I think you’re omitting some small details. Like how you fell behind while Steve and Natasha finished the mission? Or how I had to support you on the way out? HYDRA did a number on you back then.”

“HYDRA only got to me because I was distracted worrying about you.”

“I know, I thought it was sweet at the time. Now as I look back, you were just a pathetic excuse for a hero. A weak human.”

Bobbi sneered in disgust with words that were meant to hurt Clint. He could have responded but doing so would only encourage her in addition to letting her know she had gotten to him. Instead, Clint locked his emotions off and went impassive like he was trained to do at S.H.I.E.L.D.

“What, no witty comeback Hawkeye? No jokes to hide your fear? I guess I was right; you were never the strong one in our marriage. I never should have come back to you after we separated.”

Clint felt a brief jolt of anger, as he pulled at his restraints once again. Bobbi’s smile grew even wider putting her fangs on full display as she witnessed Clint’s eyes turn red for just a second.

“You can pretend all you want, love. But your body is betraying you. The venom in your bloodstream has already begun changing you. You have very little time left, while I have all the time in the world. Truthfully I hope you fight what you’re becoming as long as possible. Because in the end, you’ll be begging to drink my blood to put an end to your agony.”

Clint lowered his head, not wanting to look at Bobbi anymore. He hoped she would take it as an act of defiance and leave him, but she had other plans in mind. She got up and slowly made her way across the room. Clint refused to meet her gaze, but it only made Bobbi more determined. She let one fingernail sharpen as she placed it under his chin. She dug in just enough to break the skin and a small amount of blood started to drip down his neck. 

“You can’t fight it, Clint. Can’t fight me.”

Bobbi’s eyes turned red as she placed her mouth against her husband’s neck. Her tongue was rough against his skin as she slowly licked the blood off of him. When she was done, she stepped back and licked her fangs; a small amount of blood had collected on them as well. As she moved back to sit down, Steve and Natasha came in, to see how Clint was adjusting to the change.

“Bobbi…has Clint realized yet that his only option is joining us?”

“Not yet, Nat. He’s still fighting me.”

“Hmm, I did expect that.”

Natasha slowly walked around Clint who refused to meet her eyes. Bobbi messing with his head was bad enough; he wasn’t going to let Natasha get to him. He kept his head down, not even acknowledging her presence. His efforts started to wane as Natasha kneeled down in front of him.

“Clint…you’re only making this harder on yourself. Bobbi wants to hurt you, can’t say I blame her. But you don’t have to be this stubborn. The transformation has already begun. You’re going to be one of us. Why not accept your fate?”

Clint only briefly looked up, they wanted him to fight. They no doubt thought that his resistance gave them some sort of advantage. But he wasn’t afraid. To prove his strength, he spit in Natasha’s face.

“Childish move, Clint. I expected better from you. Ah well, we’ll be back later. Maybe your outlook will have improved by then. Bobbi, Steve and I are going hunting. We need to feed, you coming?”

“No, I think I’ll stay here. I’ve got a source of food to sustain me.”

Bobbi and Natasha shared a fiendish smile as Steve walked back up the stairs. Natasha followed shortly after as the blonde turned her attention back to Clint.

“Natasha’s right, you know. You are only making this harder on yourself. But I admire the fact that you’re being stubborn. I want you to fight. It makes the taste of your blood that much sweeter.”

Days began to pass as Bobbi continuously fed on Clint, taking just enough of his blood to keep him compliant as his body weakened. During those days, he’d ignored his hunger, he had been trained to go without food should he ever be in captivity and believed that eventually he’d die before Bobbi could make him beg her to drink. By the end of the first week, the three vampires began trading shifts of watching him. Steve and Natasha continued to talk to him, their words weakening his resolve but he still remained defiant. Bobbi continued to feed on him, and during one of the times he had passed out, she opened his mouth and took instant notice of the fangs that were nearly fully grown. 

“He’s almost ready Bobbi. I’d give it until the end of this week and he’ll have no strength left and will take your blood.”

“I hope he fights just a little bit longer. I’ve enjoyed making him hurt.”

Clint knew his time was almost done on one of the occasions he woke up alone. He could feel the craving to take blood eating him alive. His body had long since given out and was feeding on his own blood. But he still refused to give in, hoping that the next time Bobbi came back, he would be dead. He lasted another week and a half before he couldn’t even fight as Bobbi sat in front of him.

“Clint…I’ve enjoyed this game we’ve been playing for two weeks, but you don’t have any time left. I told you when this started that I had all the time in the world. You fought valiantly, but you knew this could only end one way.”

Clint didn’t have any strength to even lift his head; his throat was dry as he struggled to get a few words out, his last challenge to his wife as he knew she was going to finish what she started.

B-Bobbi...g-go...to…he-hell…”

Bobbi’s smile was sinister as she listened to Clint’s last words of defiance. She could tell that he had no more fight left. The torturously slow beat of his heart was music to her ears. His death was near, but she wasn’t going to let his life end that way. With a slow cut to her arm, she stepped forward, unlocking the chains keeping his arms restrained. Though he couldn’t even lift his head, his jaws started snapping involuntarily as he took in the smell of her blood, his fangs extending to their full length. 

The thirst had completely taken over as Bobbi placed her arm to his mouth. At first she had to hold her arm in place as he took in the first taste of her blood. After five minutes, his strength started to return and he roughly grabbed hold of her arm, sinking his fangs into the open wound. He languidly drank, savoring every drop of blood he took while Bobbi continued to listen to his heart beat.

“Thump-thump…thump…thump…thump…”

Clint’s heart finally stopped beating and his jaws went slack. Bobbi knew that his final transformation was at hand as she pulled her arm away, licking the last few drops of blood clean. Now she just had to be patient. She just had to wait for Clint to wake up. As his body was no longer moving, she released the final restraints and gently laid him down on the floor. She watched through the night as his body thrashed through the change. Her turn had been gradual, slowly taking hold through the three days. Clint’s was violent as he had been taken to death’s doorstep over two weeks of constantly being fed on. Bobbi didn’t know if he would take the same three days she did, and was surprised when morning came and his eyes fluttered open, red with thirst as he hissed and bared his impressive fangs.

“Good morning, love. Welcome back to the land of the living.”

Clint sat up, looking around through the haze in his eyes. They only slightly cleared showing flecks of blue as he focused on the blonde sitting across from him. He knew who she was and had a hard time speaking from the lack of fluids in his mouth. 

“B-B-Bobbi…”

“Take it slowly Clint. Think about what you want to say. I’ll be right here.”

“Bobbi…you…you did this to me!”

Clint’s eyes flashed with anger as he snarled at his wife. He rushed forward with an inhuman speed, fangs snapping in fury as he pounced on her. He was biting, punching, and doing everything he could to cause her pain. Bobbi hadn’t expected this reaction from him, and she fought back. As he was testing his new abilities, she knew Clint wasn’t as strong as she is, so she didn’t use her full strength. She didn’t even fear for her life until Clint got a hand around her throat, his fingernails sharpening in to claws as he used them to pierce her skin. A laugh escaped her throat as she watched his anger turn to hunger when his eyes burned red.

“Go on, Clint. Do it, you know you want too.”

“Do what?”

“Kill me. You’re a vampire now. You were a spy and assassin for S.H.I.E.L.D. Killing is what you do, what we do. So go ahead. Do it, if you think you can?”

Clint snarled again, he knew it would be easy to kill Bobbi with the strength he could feel coursing through his veins. With his hand still wrapped around her throat, he could easily snap her neck. And if he did, he could potentially go back to being human, being an Avenger. But he would be without her. Her blood would be on his hands and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. 

“Oh come on Clint,” Bobbi said in a sing-song voice with a pout on her lips. “What’s the matter? Don’t you have the guts to kill your wife, or do you lack the nerve?”

Bobbi was taunting him and Clint knew it. She wanted him to do something, something to hurt her. If he did it would only confirm what she already knew. She had him, and he only had one way out of this new life he found himself in and that was to run a stake through his own heart. As he released her and fell back to the floor, she knew what choice he had made. She watched silently as he ran his hands through his hair and then down his face, streaks of red covering his fingers from the bloody tears falling from his eyes.

“You can’t do it Clint. I know you can’t. And I don’t even need to tell you why. Because you already know the answer. You may not realize it yet, but you want this. You want the power you now have. Who you were before, what you’ve done, none of that matters now. What does matter is that we have eternity together. Accept it, embrace it.”

Bobbi’s voice became more and more seductive with every word she said. Clint was still desperately trying to fight the vampire within him, but he couldn’t. His wife’s words were imploring him to give in, and for a brief second he placed two fingers to his throat, hoping to feel a pulse point. He felt nothing and looked up as Bobbi slowly walked over to him, her hips swaying with every step. Each motion had the thirst igniting in him and he finally let go, his eyes turning back to full red before he pounced on Bobbi again. The couple was a tangle of limbs and bodies as they both fought for dominance. Fangs were clashing as their lips met. 

Bobbi knew what Clint was going for, and what he needed. Only for this moment did she allow him to take control as he was newly turned. She slowly withdrew her fangs as she extended her tongue for him to taste. Clint bit down, not enough to cause damage, but enough to pierce her flesh as her blood filled his mouth. It was just a taste to satiate the thirst temporarily. He needed human blood to complete the last stage of his transformation. Once he had the taste, as she had with him, he would never be able to go back.

“Bobbi…”

“Yes; Clint?”

“I need to feed on human blood. I want it.”

“Are you sure? Once you’ve taken a human down, you know there’s no going back. You don’t want to be human again? You know there’s a cure.”

Clint could tell Bobbi was still taunting him, but this time it wasn’t to get him angry. She was testing his resolve. She wanted to know if he really wanted to take this all the way, and live in eternal night with her.

“I don’t want to be cured; Bobbi. I know what will happen if I am. I’ll rejoin the Avengers, fight against you, Steve and Natasha. They’ll either make me kill you, or you’ll just bite me again and turn me back into a vampire. I’ve made my choice.”

“Say it Clint, say the words.”

“I’m a vampire, and Steve was right two weeks ago. Eternal life with you is better than living without you.”

“Welcome home, baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clint gets turned into a vampire, after fighting it for weeks of captivity. Still writing the story, but going to put it on hiatus from posting new chapters for a bit. Thoughts on where'd you like to see this go, ideas on what's going to happen, I'm open to hearing them. Help an author out, feedback would be gold.


	14. Abduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last new chapter I'm going to post before putting this story on a brief hiatus. As I said in the last chapter, I'll still be writing new chapters, but time is going to be short for a bit so, this story, like my others won't be updated as often. I hope everyone is enjoying this darker tale as I challenge myself to be a better writer. As always, I own nothing except the plot minus Blade and the Night-stalkers first appearance which was directly inspired by the Blade trilogy including some of the dialogue from the movies. On with chapter 14 and the introduction of the Vampire Lord.

While Clint and Bobbi were downstairs, Natasha had finished exploring the cabin, there was a lot she and Steve hadn’t discovered as the press conference, turning Bobbi and feeding had occupied most of their time. In her more thorough investigation, she had discovered that all the clothing, the decorations that didn’t have to do with HYDRA had been planted to cover up what was really going on. She knew that the plans had been completely focused on her and Steve as the targets and that was the reason the clothing fit so well. It had been specifically chosen for them. How much deeper those plans went, she no longer cared as whatever HYDRA had wanted to do was ended in short order. Night had fallen when Clint and Bobbi came upstairs, a couple connected by their blood, and he was as pale as her. 

“Good evening Clint. I trust that you are no longer fighting what you’ve become?”

Clint laughed darkly at Natasha’s question, showing his fangs still slightly dripping with what the redhead imagined was Bobbi’s blood. For her part, Natasha adopted a devious smirk, knowing that her best friend had given in. She could even hear his thoughts; he was already enjoying being a vampire. The thirst radiated off of him like a tidal wave.

“So Clint, Bobbi, now that our little family of vampires is complete, what would you like to do first?”

“Feed.”

Clint and Bobbi spoke at the same time, causing Natasha to smile even wider, her eyes turning red as it had been a day since she last fed other than once again trading blood with Steve. In that next moment, Steve emerged from the bedroom wearing the clothes had had worn on his first night out with Natasha after killing the HYDRA agents. 

“Ready to go Nat?”

“In a minute. I think Clint and Bobbi might want to join us this evening.”

Steve looked to Clint, unsurprised as the archer looked more than ready for his first hunt. But the prior two weeks had left the clothing he was in looking more than worse for wear. It wouldn’t do for him and Bobbi to be dressed as they are when the four of them reached the small town he and Natasha had already been to once.

“Well, if we’re going out tonight, I think Clint and Bobbi should be properly introduced to the gifts the human world has for vampires. There’s whole closets full of clothing for the two of you to choose from. Go on, find something suitable before we go paint the town red.”

Natasha rolled her eyes at Steve’s joke, even if it did make her smirk. The four of them were almost literally going to do that. She had once again chosen the black dress with the red stripe circling around her chest and waist from front to back while he was wearing the same black jeans, paired with a dark blue shirt and his old boots from his last Captain America uniform. He had stolen them from the compound after dropping the bag and notes there for Tony. Of course Natasha noticed and had to comment.

“Really, Steve? The Captain America boots?”

“What, they’re comfortable. Better for running and hunting in. HYDRA may have gotten the clothing right, but their choices for me in footwear were pathetic.”

Natasha could only laugh as Bobbi and Clint returned after twenty minutes of searching through the clothes. Both of them were well suited for their first night out and their first hunt. Clint was dressed all in black, though the clothes were slightly too big for him. Bobbi came back wearing the dark red dress Natasha had claimed was her second favorite, but when she tried it on, the fit was all wrong. As she appraised Bobbi, she knew the dress was better for the blonde.

“Well, now that we’re all ready to go, Bobbi, Clint; Steve and I are going to take you to this nice little dance hall we found in a small town not far from here. We think you’ll find the food extremely appetizing.”

Bobbi laughed while Clint’s eyes once again flashed red with thirst. After piling into the black S.U.V. a twenty minute drive got them to the medium sized barn that had been converted to a bar and grill with a large dance floor in the center. The location wasn’t really anything special, but it was filled almost to capacity with young couples dancing, sweating and their blood pumping. The smell was intoxicating to the four vampires as they made their way in and began to mingle.

Clint and Steve took a place sitting at the bar while Natasha and Bobbi continued to work the crowd. They caught the eyes of every man there and sneered at a few who didn’t look like much of a challenge as they approached. Easy prey was not on the menu for Natasha or Bobbi and soon enough two men who were too confident for their own good finally stepped across the floor to introduce themselves.

“Hi, what are two beautiful women like you doing all alone on a night like this?”

“Having fun, looking for two eligible bachelors to hopefully show us a good time. I’m Natasha; do you think you’re up for the challenge?”

“I’m up for whatever challenge you think you can throw at me Natasha. I’m Xander. What’s your friend’s name?”

“I’m Bobbi. And I’m sorry, you’re not my type.”

“That’s okay Bobbi, maybe my friend would be a better fit for you.”

Bobbi shifted her gaze towards the shorter man standing next to Xander. He had a goatee, shorter hair and his accent immediately grabbed her attention.

“Hi Bobbi…I’m Lance Hunter.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“England, used to be a part of the S.A.S.”

Clint and Steve were keeping their eyes on Bobbi and Nat while still performing their own search for someone to feed on. The task at hand was more important for Clint as his craving for human blood was growing steadily stronger. He only stopped when the man Bobbi was talking to leaned in close and whispered in her ear causing her to laugh out loud.

“I’ll kill him.”

“Relax, Clint. Bobbi’s not going to let this go anywhere. She’ll probably drain him and leave him for dead.”

“And you’re not worried about how close that guy is getting to Natasha? His whole attitude screams the word creep.”

“Nat’s playing him. She hasn’t been able to really let loose like this in a long time. You of all people should know that. You did save her from the Red Room. It doesn’t matter how close that guy gets to her, he’s just a food source.”

Steve turned his attention to a blonde that was giving him not so subtle looks from across the bar. When she caught him looking, she made her way over and offered to buy him a drink. Clint trusted that Bobbi knew what she was doing and he was soon dragged out onto the dance floor by a brunette who had been eyeing him since he walked in, not that he noticed until she was standing in front of him. Neither Clint nor Steve were aware of it, but these two had specifically been planted at the bar by the man currently flirting with Natasha. 

“So Natasha, are you seeing anyone?”

Natasha couldn’t help but get lost in Xander’s eyes. In spite of the fact that she was there with Steve, there was something about this man that told her he was different. She found herself telling him everything about her, except for the fact that she was a vampire, and that she was married.

“No…Bobbi and I are here alone. I was in a relationship, but it ended rather badly some time ago.”

“He broke up with you? He was a fool if that’s the case.”

“No Xander…he died. And I’m sorry if I came on a little too strong earlier, I was just trying to…”

“Natasha, you don’t have to explain anything to me. In fact, if you’d like, we could get out of here for a while. Maybe I could help you forget about him, even if just for the night.”

Lance had pulled Bobbi away from the conversation when Xander began asking Natasha all these personal questions. They were there working together and he knew the true nature of his friend. He had paid the two women currently keeping Natasha and Bobbi’s male companions distracted so their plan could move forward uninhibited.

Natasha knew there was something about Xander that made her want to go with him, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. He just seemed to have this aura about him that gave him power over her. Instantly, she looped her arm around his and they walked out of the bar together. She had forgotten about Steve, Clint and Bobbi, her only thoughts were of wanting to know this man better. 

Steve was getting frustrated with the woman openly hitting on him. He may be a vampire, but he’s still married. The blonde was casually touching his arm, laughing at things he said that weren’t even jokes. When he tried to excuse himself to go look for Natasha, the woman pulled him back and forcefully kissed him, before breaking the contact and leaning her head to the side.

“I know what you are Steve. I know why you’re here. If you’re hungry, bite me. I won’t fight, I won’t scream. I’d love to see the world the way you do.”

“No thanks. Easy prey isn’t my style.”

Steve walked away, and the blonde knew that he wasn’t interested. But it wasn’t because he wasn’t thirsty and he did need to feed. It was because he was looking for the redhead she had seen him come in with. He was too late, though and she was gone. When he couldn’t find Natasha anywhere in the bar, Steve stepped outside to see Clint with a brunette woman strolling through the field. He knew Clint was about to feed on her, but Steve felt a sudden sense of dread. The bond he had formed with Natasha once she turned him, suddenly went quiet.

“Clint…”

“Not now Steve…”

Clint briefly spoke after pulling his lips off the brunette’s neck. He had been deep in the thirst, his eyes fully red. He was just about to make the bite when Steve once again interrupted them, roughly grabbing hold of his friend’s shoulder.

“Clint…I think we’ve got a problem.”

“Yeah…you’re interrupting…”

“No Clint…Natasha’s gone.”

“Not this again…Steve; we talked about this…”

Steve’s eyes flashed with anger as he pulled the archer aside. This wasn’t about how she had taken off before becoming a vampire again or before she had turned him. Steve was feeling a stronger supernatural presence and he could tell it was the cause of his and Natasha’s telepathic connection being broken.

“Clint do me a favor…”

“Right now…really? Right when I was about to get my first taste of human blood? The last step to keep me from ever being cured?”

“Just do it. We’re capable of having telepathic connections with our mates. It happens after we’re first turned and take their blood. Try and contact Bobbi.”

“Seriously…?”

“Just do it. Ask her when the last time she saw Natasha was.”

_“Bobbi…”_

_“What do you need Clint? Did you get your first taste of human blood?”_

_“I would have if Steve hadn’t interrupted me. Is Nat in there with you?”_

_“Yeah she’s…huh…”_

_“What do you mean…huh?”_

_“She was in here. I can’t find her. Guess she’s off somewhere feeding on that Xander guy.”_

_“When did you last see her. Steve wants to know.”_

_“A couple hours ago now. Right before Lance…”_

Bobbi started to connect the dots as Clint was still listening to her thoughts. She was realizing that Hunter had deliberately pulled her away from Xander and Natasha. He had kept her attention solely focused on him, and she just knew what had happened. Lance had distracted her so his friend could steal Natasha away. Her fury ignited in that moment and she grabbed Lance by the hand, dragging him out into the open where Steve and Clint were waiting.

“All right Lance, start talking. Who the hell are you, really? And where did your friend take Natasha?”

“Nowhere you’ll ever find her, Bobbi. Natasha is with the one who created her. A vampire can never escape the one who started her change.”

Steve bared his fangs in anger. Like Bobbi had, he realized this was all a plot to get to them. The brunette woman had once again captured Clint’s attention, but this time he wasn’t having it. Her attempts at distracting him were failing as he roughly grabbed her by the arm.

“Hunter here doesn’t want to tell us where his friend took Natasha. Maybe you’ll be more cooperative.”

Clint’s eyes flashed red, and showed just a little bit of his fangs to the woman. He was hoping she’d be afraid enough to sing like a canary. The tense scene was not without witnesses as a local Sherriff walked up, and interrupted the proceedings.

“What’s going on here? Is there a problem?”

Steve immediately shifted his eyes back to their natural color before turning around to meet the newcomer eye to eye. When he saw that the man was local law enforcement, he did his best Captain America act to diffuse the situation. He didn’t have to work as hard as he thought he would as the Sherriff immediately recognized him.

“Captain Rogers…this is…wow…it is such an honor to meet you…you…you’re a living legend…”

“Relax Sherriff. Without the uniform I’m just a guy like you. I will admit to the living part…but the legend…not so much.”

“Of course…I’d always heard the stories about you, humble to the last. Are these two causing you problems? I’d be happy to run them down to the station, make them cool off with a night in the drunk tank.”

“That won’t be necessary. The truth is these two resemble wanted fugitives from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s files. After the HYDRA infestation was revealed, the Avengers have had to take up a lot of the slack. Clint…?”

Clint walked over, he had a firm grip on the woman’s arm as he stepped up next to Steve. Before that, he had to hide a small laugh behind his hand as Steve said he’d admit to living.

“What’s up Cap?”

The Sherriff was even more awestruck as not only was Captain America standing in front of him, but now Hawkeye was as well.

“The Sherriff here has offered to take these two down to the station. I told him that wouldn’t be necessary. You agree?”

“Absolutely, I just got word from Hill, she talked to Tony and he wants us to bring these two back to the Compound. He’s glad the mission was a success. He’s sending a Quinjet to pick us up.”

“Okay, well Sherriff, it was nice to meet you. I’m sorry we had to make a scene. Avengers business…”

“It’s no problem Captain Rogers, No problem at all. I hope you Avengers keep up the good work you do. Not all of us believe that the heroes cause more damage than the villains.”

The Sherriff saluted Steve, an act that the soldier returned before escorting Hunter and the brunette woman towards their S.U.V. Bobbi had gone back inside and found the blonde that had hit on Steve and dragged her along. The Sherriff didn’t even try to stop her as he saw her making her way towards Steve and Clint. After the twenty minute drive, the three were taken down into the lower levels of the cabin, and surrounded by Steve, Bobbi and Clint, knew there was no escape.

“All right, which one of you wants to go first?”

Clint spoke as Steve stood there with his arms crossed while Bobbi unconsciously ran her tongue over her fangs. The three of them were still hungry, but they couldn’t act on it until they knew where Natasha and this Xander had gone. All they got from Hunter and his two accomplices was the silent treatment. Meanwhile, Xander had taken Natasha to his limo far from the outskirts of the small town. She had willingly followed him as he had used his power to control her. When they were in the car, he broke his hypnotic control and Natasha looked around, confused.

“Xander…where have you taken me? What do you want with me?”

“To have some fun, Natasha. Just like you said. I know you don’t remember me, but we’ve met before.”

“Have we…I can’t say I’ve ever seen you before in my life. I think you’re mistaking me with someone else.”

“Oh there’s no mistake, Natasha. Just about a month ago now, you and the Avengers had a mission to a small European town. That’s where we first met. That’s where I first took your blood. You’re a vampire because of me.”

“You’re delusional, I’m not a vampire.”

“Oh you aren’t? I know you’re lying. I can prove it.”

Xander sliced a small cut into his neck and watched as Natasha’s eyes turned red, her fangs extending. She wanted to feed and the smell of his blood had her thirst out of control. But before she could latch on, he put a hand up, and all her free will froze in that moment.

“What do you want from me? Why did you abduct me?”

“I only wanted to thank you, for killing my father, Dracula. When you and the rest of the Avengers killed him two years ago, I took my place as the new Lord of Vampires.”

“Then you’re welcome. Let me go.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Natasha. I took your blood, and you took mine. You don’t remember it because I erased your memory of that moment. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you turned. And you’ve done me a tremendous favor. Your turned Captain America into a vampire. All because I remade you.”

“You made me a vampire. That was probably the biggest mistake you’ve made, because you gave me the same powers you have. And I can use them to kick your ass.”

“Can you…try it.”

Natasha bared her fangs again and tried to claw at the neck of her captor. Every time she was stopped as he simply put a hand up. Realizing her attacks were futile Natasha stopped and asked one more question.

“Why am I here Xander? Are you going to kill me for killing your father?”

“No. And my name is not Xander. My name is Xarus. And you Natasha, belong to me.”

Natasha once again was frozen in place due to Xarus’ hypnotic powers. Powers that were much stronger than hers. She could now remember fighting him and him biting her in the battle. Her eyes closed as he did so once again, taking her blood, and then force feeding her some of his. Just before she passed out, she heard him speak one more time.

“Welcome home, Natalia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter turned out a lot longer than I thought it would. 3.202 words, probably the longest chapter so far. as always, feel free to comment, feedback is always appreciated.


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